Royal College of Psychiatrists joins Stonewall exodus

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has announced that it will ditch its Stonewall membership.

According to documents seen by The Daily Telegraph, the college will not renew its current membership which expires in December. Previously, it ranked 90th in the LGBT lobby group’s ‘top 100’ employers for “progress on LGBT equality”.

The college reportedly decided to sever ties following internal disagreement over its stance on transgender issues.

Conflict

The college’s President Lade Smith CBE and Chief Executive Sonia Walter told members “we are acutely aware that there is a risk in being affiliated with an organisation that may speak on matters relating to the professional practice of our members, but over which the college has no direct control.

“The college has evaluated its membership of Stonewall and decided not to renew when it expires in December.”

Fiona McAnena, Director of Campaigns for women’s group Sex Matters, welcomed the college for sending a “clear message that it is putting evidence and the wellbeing of patients ahead of the demands of transactivist lobbyists”.

She said the College’s “recognition that the ideological position of Stonewall may conflict with the professional practice of its members is a significant statement”, and its decision should pressure other medical bodies such as the Royal College of General Practitioners to follow suit.

Public bodies

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the latest in a string of high profile organisations to distance itself from the divisive lobby group.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Sport England, the Scottish Parliament and Arts Council England all decided to cancel their membership of Stonewall’s flagship ‘diversity scheme’, which rewards employers for promoting LGBT ideology inside and outside of the workplace.

A number of other tax-funded organisations – including the Crown Prosecution Service, the Government Equalities Office, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission – have also ended their relationship with Stonewall.