Opposition to session at RANZCP Conference
Public Statement: Opposition to session at RANZCP Conference
Pride in Medicine Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand expresses our profound concern and condemnation of the session titled "Detransition and regret following gender affirming care for gender dysphoria: what psychiatrists need to know" scheduled to take place at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) 2024 Congress.
At Pride in Medicine we acknowledge that all medical conditions and treatments should be open for discussion and that conferences represent areas for robust discussion for emerging research. However, the panel participants and the concurrent session as it is presently advertised demonstrate an anti-transgender bias that poses significant harm to transgender patients, physicians, and the greater medical society at large.
All three panel participants listed in the official RANZCP congress program are associated with anti-transgender activism groups and have publicly objected to evidence-based gender-affirming care practices. Pride in Medicine has deep concerns for how this panel will be presented as a professional and un-biased discussion, given there is no representative from any other corner of the transgender space on a comparable platform.
Because of this, we believe this session poses a significant risk of harm to transgender patients and is inherently discriminatory in nature. The stand-alone, one-sided nature of the panel limits the discourse regarding transitioning practices and gender affirming care, and does not reflect the ongoing research regarding detransitioning.
Moreover, the session contravenes the RANZCP's own code of ethics, which emphasises the importance of affirmative and supportive care for the LGBTQIA+ community, and prohibits discrimination against patients on any grounds, including gender identity.
As reflected in RANZCP’s own position statements, being transgender or gender diverse is not a mental health condition. The statements underscore the responsibility of psychiatrists to counter stigma, discrimination, and violence directed towards transgender and gender diverse individuals.
We strongly believe that panels in isolation such as this reflect further targeting of a community that is known to be vulnerable and often marginalised within the healthcare system. At a conference themed “Excellence and Empathy Knowledge and Kindness”, we find it distressing that a session such as this is permitted to take place. This congress is meant to educate current and future psychiatrists on present evidence and best practice treatment for these vulnerable groups, and the programme as it stands poses a significant risk to the LGBTQIA+ community.
The lack of fair and considered discussion regarding transition medicine contributes to discriminatory practices. Such discrimination gives rise to the alarming rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-harm among transgender and gender diverse youth, as documented in studies such as Reisner et al. (2015) and various Australian and international surveys.
RANZCP must demonstrate that it truly stands by its code of conduct and position statements. The College must lead by example and not discriminate, it must practice in a culturally safe and competent manner and it must support and provide high quality care for trans and gender diverse people.
Pride in Medicine hereby calls for RANZCP to continue to advocate for cultural safety within psychiatry at both an individual and systemic level, and reflect on the potential harm this event poses for the LGBTQIA+ community.
We urge the RANZCP to reconsider its decision to host this session and to uphold its commitment to providing compassionate, inclusive, and evidence-based care to all individuals, regardless of their gender identity
For any questions or comments, please contact: communications@prideinmedicine.com
