NHS calendar sparks criticism over focus on LGBT events

NHS England has released a 2025 ‘awareness’ calendar marking events such as Trans Awareness Month, and an International Pronouns Day.

The calendar marks 351 events across the year covering a myriad of topics. LGBT events are the most common, with 31 dates spread over 12 months. The second largest category is cancer with 16 events throughout the year.

This equates to one event every other week for LGBT people, often marked by holding talks, staff-wide emails, and promoting them on website homepages.

Performative and distracting

A source for The Telegraph said the LGBT events are “highly visible” and commented that if you challenge them, you are labelled a “bigot”.

Kate Barker, Chief Executive of LGB Alliance, which challenges radical gender ideology, said: “Instead of celebrating made-up pronouns, the NHS should be raising awareness of the scandal of unevidenced, experimental medicalisation of gender-distressed young people.”

Helen Joyce, Director of Advocacy at women’s rights charity Sex Matters, concluded: “This is all a waste of time and money. The NHS needs to drop the performative nonsense and focus its efforts on treating sick people and improving the nation’s health.”

‘Woke nonsense’

The civil service has been criticised for similar diversity and inclusion calendars, noting days of national importance as well as events like Pansexual Visibility Day.

The Head of Campaigns at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, Elliot Keck, stated: “The extent to which the diversity demagogues have taken over Whitehall is truly alarming.”

Caroline Ffiske from Conservatives for Women explained: “It’s offensive, and illustrates a lack of judgement and courage from the organisers, to see recently made-up woke nonsense treated with the same degree of seriousness as important days for Christians and those of other faiths.”