UK Government Rejects Doctor for Belief Gender Can’t be Changed by Surgery

A doctor applying for a disability assessor role for the UK government has been rejected for his refusal to identify patients as a gender other than their biological one.
Dr Mackereth, who has worked as a registered doctor in the UK since 1989, said “I’m not attacking the transgender movement. But, I’m defending my right to freedom of speech, and freedom of belief.” In addition to citing the genetic and biological realities of gender, Dr Mackereth is a Reformed Baptist who cited his belief that “God made humans male or female”.
The Doctor had started training in a course in May to become a health and disability assessor for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The role entails assessing and writing reports about the health of those claiming disability benefits. When the instructor stated that reports must refer only to the patient by the sex that person chose to identify as, Dr Mackereth claims this prompted a discussion about the “fluid” nature of gender. “I could have kept my mouth shut”, Dr Mackereth said to The Telegraph, “But, it was the right time to raise it”.
The tutor notified Dr Mackereth that he had passed his objections to the DWP. Dr Mackereth then recieved an email from Advanced Personnel Management (APM), the agency that would have hired him and contracted him out to the DWP. APM offered further training about the department’s policy, but advised him that according to DWP’s consultations with lawyers any report or contact with clients not referring to them by their chosen gender “could be considered to be harassment as defined by the 2010 Equality Act”.
The doctor replied that “in good conscience” he could not conform to those demands, and so the contract was terminated between them.
He said: “Firstly, we are not allowed to say what we believe. Secondly, as my case shows, we are not allowed to think what we believe. Finally, we are not allowed to defend what we believe.
According to a DWP spokeswoman, the Equality Act states that it is illegal to discriminate directly or indirectly against a person on grounds of a “protected characteristic”, such as gender reassignment. “Dr Mackereth made it clear during his training that he would refuse to use pronouns which did not match his own view of a person’s biological gender”, the spokeswoman said.
“I don’t believe I should be compelled to use a specific pronoun. I am not setting out to upset anyone. But, if upsetting someone can lead to doctors being sacked then, as a society we have to examine where we are going”
“If we are no longer allowed to say that you believe sex and gender are the same and are determined at birth, everyone who holds my views can be sacked on the spot under this Act. I’m not an isolated case.”
After the story broke, Dr Mackereth appeared on UK morning show This Morning alongside a male-to-female transgender person. After the transgender person called his view of the naturally determined reality of gender “bigotry”, he reiterated, “The anatomy hasn’t changed and the genetics haven’t changed…-” “-Society has”, the transgender person interrupted.



This article originally appeared in Pop and Locke.
Pop and Locke is a libertarian-conservative popular culture and politics blog bringing you news and opinions that cut through the mainstream mould. It was inspired by an appreciation for enlightenment philosophy and a passion for our increasingly wacky popular culture.
Follow Pop and Locke on Medium, Twitter and Facebook to stay informed!
Follow Pop and Locke on Twitter
Pixel Art assets courtesy of: Davit Masia, Edermunizz, and Ansimuz, used under a Creative Commons License, edited by Jack Reidy.