GMC apologises for its homophobic past
The GMC has issued a formal apology for taking regulatory action against doctors who had convictions under now-repealed homophobic laws.
Prof Dame Carrie MacEwen
Its chair, Prof Dame Carrie MacEwen, said the regulator was ‘truly sorry’ for compounding the harm already faced by doctors who had convictions that would now be considered unjust.
Over the last 160 years, the GMC has considered cases against at least 40 practitioners – going back to the 1890s – for engaging, or attempting to engage, in consensual sexual activity and intimacy with other men.
In the formal apology, Dame Carrie said: ‘Homophobic laws and attitudes, that were in place into the 1980s and beyond, caused personal and professional harm. We compounded that harm when we also took additional regulatory action against those who were on the medical register. In some cases, that meant the end of a practitioner’s career. For this we are truly sorry.’
GMC action resulted in at least eight doctors being struck off the medical register. The last confirmed erasure was in 1966, although other doctors were issued with warnings.
Historic cases
Dame Carrie said: ‘We cannot be sure of the true number of doctors we took historic action against based on convictions that would now be considered unjust. But the impact on every one of them, and on those close to them, will have been considerable.
‘Laws and attitudes have changed in the years since, as has the GMC. These are historic cases, but it is right that we apologise for them.’
Prejudice persists
Dr Duncan McGregor, of The Association of LGBTQ+ Doctors and Dentists (GLADD), welcomed the apology.
He said: ‘The profound impact of these actions on their lives cannot be overstated. This apology is an important step in righting the wrongs of the past and, while the hurt and damage that has been caused to those doctors cannot be undone, it is important to acknowledge past injustices.
‘Although the threat of erasure from the medical register due to a doctor’s sexuality no longer looms, prejudice against LGBTQ+ healthcare staff persists to this day.
‘This apology represents progress towards justice for those impacted by these historic homophobic laws, and progress for the LGBTQ+ community. We hope this gesture brings some measure of solace to those affected doctors and their loved ones.’