Royal College of GPs forced into U-turn after cancelling gender-critical doctors’ conference

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has been forced into an about-turn after cancelling a conference on sex and gender.

LGBTQ+ campaigners approached the college to express their concern that it was allowing the Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender (CAN-SG), a group of psychiatrists and doctors who campaign for science-based dialogue on gender issues, to use its conference space.

The event, titled First Do No Harm, aims to explore “current controversies in the care of children and young people with gender-related distress”.

‘Aware of a situation’

After being contacted by the campaigners, including the Association of LGBTQ+ Doctors & Dentists and Pride RCGP, the college said last week that it was “aware of a situation regarding an upcoming event”.

The college’s events management team, Searcys, later wrote to CAN-SG to inform it that its event had been cancelled. Searcys proposed two alternative venues but said it wasn’t sure “if any of those two medical institutions would hold similar views to the RCGP as far as your event is concerned”.

Dr Louise Irvine, the co-chairman of CAN-SG, said: “I asked why the event was cancelled and the manager said he did not know. He just said that senior people in RCGP had been discussing it all day and then instructed him to contact me to cancel.

“I found out later that on that Friday, there was a well-orchestrated campaign by activists to send numerous emails to RCGP full of false allegations about our conference.”

Baroness Hayter, a Labour peer, subsequently wrote to the college to warn it that gender-critical beliefs were protected under the Equality Act 2010.

She told The Telegraph: “I’m shocked and disappointed that a medical body – indeed a Royal College – which should promote evidence-based treatment tried to close down debate on an important clinical issue. This is not in patients’ interests. Open, academic discussion is essential if all patients and their carers are to be guaranteed best treatment by their GPs.

“The RCGP needs to explain why it sought to silence certain senior medical practitioners and thus deny their own members the opportunity of hearing current findings on this subject.”

Prof Mike Holmes, the chairman of the trustees for the RCGP, said: “Our initial concern… was that it was being marketed and publicised in a way that could give the impression the college was hosting, sponsoring or supporting the conference and having an active role in the content and programme.”

‘Decided to honour the booking’

The college said that after CAN-GS agreed to remove the college’s name from promotional material, it “decided to honour the booking”.

A spokesman for CAN-SG said: “We are delighted that our conference will go ahead at 30 Euston Square, and we are looking forward to a great event with excellent speakers. All CAN-SG members are clinical professionals who uphold professional standards to provide safe and effective care to all our patients, including our LGBTQ+ patients, to promote long-term well-being.”

A spokesman for the Association of LGBTQ+ Doctors & Dentists said: “The existence and rights of gender-diverse people are not up for debate and the community currently does not feel safe as the result of actions of groups like CAN-SG. This is not about wokery but about decency.”