Mick Hartley

Lucy Bannerman in the Times:

NHS staff should share their preferred pronouns every time they meet a new patient, according to the quango responsible for training in the health service.

A training guide by Health Education England advises medics to do so to create a “safe space” for the small fraction of the population who identify as transgender or non-binary.

How ridiculous..Is there an explanation, then, for this absurdity?

Well yes, there is. Nine letters, starts with "S"…

Health Education England has received a gold award from the LGBT charity Stonewall for its diversity policies. Last year it was ranked 110th out of 403 in the group’s annual ranking of employers, which awards points for adopting Stonewall recommendations on topics such as discrimination, gender identity and family leave.

Its online training module on LGBT awareness suggests that medics inform patients of their pronouns, such as she/her or they/them, regardless of whether or not anyone present is transgender. The guide, first reported by The Mail on Sunday, says this helps to create a “safe space” for transgender and non-binary people.

It says: “The easiest thing to do is to start by introducing yourself with your own pronoun. In doing so you are creating a safe space for trans, non-binary, intersex and gender non-conforming people who may not feel comfortable to go first in introducing themselves with pronouns.”…

An NHS spokesman said: “While the NHS is committed to tackling health inequalities and improving access and experience for LGBT communities, this online module is not NHS policy and it is optional for staff.”