NHS England has been accused of normalising gender confusion after promoting International Pronouns Day.
In support of International Pronouns Day on Wednesday, NHS England shared a message from Eddy Phillips, its Staff Network's trans and non-binary lead, who said that "normalising pronouns" would be a "big step" towards improving trans people's experience of healthcare.
In the message, shared on NHS England's Instagram page, Phillips said that fear was stopping more trans people from accessing health services, and that using pronouns would help to build "respect and inclusivity".
He then suggested more NHS colleagues use pronouns in their email signatures and when introducing themselves.
"Everyone should feel safe accessing health services, including trans people. Normalising pronouns is a big step in making trans people's experiences of healthcare more positive," he said.
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"Fear of not being seen or understood, or of prejudice, is one thing that holds us back from accessing services. A healthcare professional introducing themselves using pronouns creates an environment of respect and inclusivity, and takes away some of that fear.⠀
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"Using pronouns builds a more open and compassionate relationship between health staff and trans people using services, breaking down some of the barriers that prevent us from thriving, both as patients and NHS employees.⠀
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"Seeing colleagues use their pronouns in signatures, and hearing them used when they introduce themselves, makes me feel safe to bring my whole self to work."
In a separate article published by NHS London on Medium, NHS LGBT Health Officer Tash Oakes-Monger, who is trans and uses they/them, said: "Pronouns may feel like a small thing for some, but they're not a small thing for me.
"If someone introduces themselves with their pronouns, it helps me to realise that I'm not the odd one out in the room, I'm not a burden and this is a space is for me, too."
The endorsement for International Pronouns Day was criticised by Transgender Trend, a campaign group challenging the medical transition of children and the teaching of gender identity ideology in schools.
The group said that the promotion of pronouns "will normalise the idea that biological sex isn't real and young people can choose to be a boy or a girl based on their feelings".
"The harms of this ideology are in plain sight. NHS should be aware of the vulnerabilities of young people & this should not be promoted as 'kind'," it said.
