Skip to main content
What types of page to search?

Popular pages: Undergraduate Postgraduate PhD Accommodation Research International students

Alternatively use our A-Z index.

Making a stand against LGBTQ+ ‘conversion therapy’

Published on

close up of lego figures in pride colours

In December, Liverpool School of Medicine was proud to add its name to a UK Medical Schools Charter against LGBTQ+ ‘Conversion Therapy’.

The Association of LGBTQ+ Doctors & Dentists (GLADD) has led the way in setting up the charter, intended to support the banning of so-called 'conversion therapy’ and formally call on the GMC to recognise its harm. The charter sets out commitments for medical schools to include authentic and joyful LGBTQ+ representation in their curricula, along with supporting students and staff to work in an environment free of hate, discrimination and harassment.

Vice-Dean for Learning & Scholarship Dr Viktoria Goddard has played a key role in adding the School’s signatory to the charter, and helping build a more inclusive environment within the School community, through initiatives such as implementing changes to the curriculum and providing learning opportunities.

“For those of us tasked with educating the future healthcare workforce, this charter is an important step in recognising the damage that so called ‘Conversion Therapy’ has done in the past, and a commitment to ensuring an inclusive environment for students, staff and patients from LGBTQ+ communities from this point onwards.

For those of us who grew up under the shadow of Section 28, consideration of a non-heterosexual relationship or a non-cis identity was often not something that could be discussed without fear of judgement or shame.

The existence of "conversion therapies" added to the perception that these were in some way wrong, despite the fact that homosexuality, and many different forms of trans, queer and non-binary identities have existed across many cultures and civilisations for thousands of years.

As a member of staff who openly identifies as queer and non-binary, but who took a long time to feel comfortable to do so in the work environment, playing a small part in ensuring Liverpool School of Medicine could be one of the first schools to sign this charter makes me immensely proud.

I look forward to working with staff and students alike to build a more inclusive environment for all here within Liverpool, but also nationally as our student doctors graduate and take their inclusive practice with them to their foundation posts and beyond.”

Clinical Medical Education Fellow Dr Anthony Baynham was equally as pleased to see the School’s signatory added to the charter.

“As a gay man it is important to me personally. I have friends who have had or been offered ‘Conversion Therapy’. I think it is also important to reflect upon the role of medicine in providing these ‘treatments’ to members of the LGBTQ+ community. I have worked at a hospital that had the UK's first ‘treatment of homosexuality research centre’.

It was not until 1990 that the World Health Organization removed homosexuality itself from the International Classification of Disease. To put it into context - homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK in 1967. With ICD-11, Gender Incongruence is moving out of the mental health chapter to conditions relating to sexual health. Progress has been quite slow.”

Student Doctor Lydia Nutting is LGBTQ Rep for Liverpool Medical Students Society (LMSS).

“The School signing the charter makes it clear that so-called therapies have no place in clinical practice and helps to put value on evidence-based medicine as there is no credible evidence to support conversion therapy.

This March, the LMSS, QueerMedics and the University of Liverpool’s LGBT+ Society will hold the second Approaching LGBT+ Healthcare conference where we will have guest speakers and communication workshops to highlight and address some really important topics in LGBT+ healthcare.”

Discover more

  • Learn more about the UK Medical Schools Charter against LGBTQ+ ‘Conversion Therapy’ on the GLADD website (link)
  • Read about the first Approaching LGBT+ Healthcare conference in the news article and follow LMSS and Queermedics on social media for all the latest on this year’s event (links).
  • The first meeting of a new student-staff partnership group on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion will take place on 9th March 2022. If you are interested in taking part, please contact Dr Viktoria Goddard.