Transgender Politics: British Doctor Fired for Dissenting on Pronoun Usage

David Mackereth, M.D., has worked for the British National Health Service for nearly 30 years and has never had a single complaint from a transgender patient. That might be because Mackereth treats his patients respectfully and according to their medical needs — as he ought. But when Mackereth applied for a job as a disability assessor in a medical center run by the British government’s Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), he ran into serious trouble.

A “trainer” instructed him on a hypothetical scenario. If he were to encounter a transgender patient, the trainer said, he must refer to that patient, both in person and in writing (in medical records), by whichever pronouns and prefixes the individual preferred (such as he or she, they or ze). As a doctor, Mackereth, was worried this was not in his patient’s best interests. And as a Christian, Mackereth felt that he was unable to lie. He told the trainer that if such an instance arose, he would be unable to comply. His dissent was not well received.

About the Author

Madeleine Kearns

Madeleine Kearns is a former staff writer at National Review.

David Mackereth, M.D., has worked for the British National Health Service for nearly 30 years and has never had a single complaint from a transgender patient. That might be because Mackereth treats his patients respectfully and according to their medical needs — as he ought. But when Mackereth applied for a job as a disability assessor in a medical center run by the British government’s Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), he ran into serious trouble.

A “trainer” instructed him on a hypothetical scenario. If he were to encounter a transgender patient, the trainer said, he must refer to that patient, both in person and in writing (in medical records), by whichever pronouns and prefixes the individual preferred (such as he or she, they or ze). As a doctor, Mackereth, was worried this was not in his patient’s best interests. And as a Christian, Mackereth felt that he was unable to lie. He told the trainer that if such an instance arose, he would be unable to comply. His dissent was not well received.