PDA LGBT+ Network speaks out against transphobic rhetoric

Earlier this year, the PDA LGBT+ Network published a position statement on support for patients with gender incongruence (including those accessing gender identity services), which applies the PDA’s ‘Wider Than Medicines’ roadmap to gender-affirming care, in pursuit of an integrated healthcare system which ensures that transgender people receive safe and effective pharmaceutical care.

We believe that pharmacists, regardless of the sector they are employed in, have a key role in improving the care of transgender people and are duty-bound to deliver patient care that not only is of high quality but also, equitable:

1. The Equality Act 2010 and the Northern Ireland Act 1998 prohibit discrimination of protected characteristics, namely gender reassignment in this instance. We believe that forcing transgender women to bays designated for men according to their sex assigned at birth rather than their gender identity could be unlawful discrimination.
2. A policy along these lines would go against the first principle of the NHS Constitution.
3. We understand that recent Freedom of Information requests (FOI) to 102 NHS Foundation Trusts revealed that no complaints had been received from any cis-gender female inpatients about transgender patients’ presence.
4. The impact on transgender men has been ignored, even though they would be required to be placed in female wards.
5. Any changes require a broader and meaningful consultation, which must also consider intersex and non-binary patients.

Transgender people have always existed and will continue to exist. Hospitals are already over capacity and understaffed, particularly during the winter months. This is a result of chronic underfunding of the NHS by the current government. Their plans to change the NHS constitution are a distraction from these serious issues and have the potential to incite discrimination and harassment of vulnerable transgender, intersex, and non-binary patients. This will limit them from accessing vital NHS services rather than focusing on improving people’s health outcomes and therefore their lives overall.

Get involved

• Get involved with the PDA’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Networks and in your workplace and stand in solidarity for transgender people, patients, and colleagues.
• PDA members who are experiencing discrimination or harassment in the workplace are encouraged to contact the PDA Member Support Centre.
• Pharmacists who have observed patients experiencing discrimination or harassment are encouraged to share their story by emailing organising@pda-union.org.
• Join the PDA LGBT+ Network here.
• Follow the PDA LGBT+ Network on social media using the hashtag #PDAlgbt
• Contact the PDA LGBT+ Network committee by emailing lgbt@the-pda.org

By Soh Xi Ken, co-opted member of the PDA LGBT+ Committee, and supported by the whole PDA LGBT+ Committee

Learn more

• The PDA LGBT+ Network publish statement on Gender Affirming Care
• Wider than Medicines
• Equality Act 2010: guidance
• Northern Ireland Act 1998
• The NHS Constitution for England
• Trans hospital patients in England to be banned from female- and male-only wards
• PDA Member Networks

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