Apologising for past regulatory action linked to homophobic laws

We’ve been the independent regulator of doctors in the UK for more than 160 years. During that time, we took regulatory action against a number of doctors because they had convictions based on sexuality. For that, we want to apologise.

Homophobic laws and attitudes that were in place into the 1980s and beyond caused personal and professional harm. We compounded that harm when we also took additional regulatory action against those who were on the medical register. In some cases that meant the end of a doctor’s career. For this we are truly sorry.

Times have changed, and so have we, but more still needs to be done to support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and plus (LGBTQ+) doctors, physician associates (PAs), anaesthesia associates (AAs), and patients. We all have a part to play in this. As a regulator and employer, we’re committed to championing equality, diversity, and inclusivity in all that we do. 

What to do if you’ve been affected by this

We’ve done everything we can to identify whether the doctors involved in these historic cases are still alive. From our research, we know that unfortunately, the majority have died. However, if you think you were involved in one of these cases or this happened to someone you know, we encourage you to contact us so we can apologise and discuss what happened.

Even if we’ve missed the opportunity to apologise directly to the doctors involved, we still want to be open and honest about our past behaviours and the harm they caused. We’ve updated our records so it’s clear that the action we took was wrong.

We don’t underestimate the impact this will have had on all those affected. Throughout this work, we’ve collaborated with organisations who represent LGBTQ+ doctors, to make sure the approach we’re taking is as sensitive and supportive as possible.

Contacting us

  • You can contact us via lgbtqapology@gmc-uk.org or on 0161 923 6602.
  • You’ll hear from us within 10 working days.
  • We can talk to you about the case and the impact it will have had.
  • If you're applying on behalf of a doctor who is still alive, you'll need to provide a power of attorney or authorisation from the doctor, so we can share information about the case with you.
  • We’ll share information about specialist organisations who can provide support too.

Why we’re doing this

Our LGBTQ+ staff network initiated this work and reviewed our archives to identify these cases.  They were prompted by Turing’s law, which introduced a statutory pardon for men with historic convictions stemming from homophobic laws of the time. Our network members discussed this with our senior management team, who were clear that we must apologise for what happened in the past.

Laws and attitudes are, thankfully, changing. But more still needs to be done to support LGBTQ+ doctors, PAs, AAs, and patients. We remain fully committed to championing equality, diversity and inclusion in all that we do.

We meet regularly with our Strategic ED&I forum to listen to issues which matter to doctors of all backgrounds, including LGBTQ+ doctors, PAs, AAs, and patients, so we can consider solutions together. Our guide for LGBT patients has information about what patients can expect from their doctor, PA or AA,  and details of organisations that provide advice or advocacy services.

Further information