Thread by @zeno001

1. The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust @TaviAndPort, which runs the NHS's Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), updated their Equality policy a few days ago.

It’s an improvement, but the Trust still has some way to go.

A thread of nine Tweets.

cc @mragilligan

@TaviAndPort @mragilligan 2. These changes come after I pointed out to them several issues where they had completely mis-stated the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, confusing sex with gender and several other problems.

One of many examples from their old policy:

@TaviAndPort @mragilligan 3. Some of it was just bizarre. Here, they manage to get sex correct, but then give a nonsensical definition of *sexual* orientation:

@TaviAndPort @mragilligan 4. Their new policy, Version 5.0, can be read here: tavistockandportman.nhs.uk/documents/81/E…

It seems to now correctly state the protected characteristics in all but one place:

@TaviAndPort @mragilligan 5. Other than that lapse, it only uses the term gender - which it doesn't define, of course - when referring to 'gender reassignment' and the misnamed 'gender pay gap'.

@TaviAndPort @mragilligan 6. However, there are still many problems. Their Membership application form page used to ask for 'Gender' and gave the options 'Male', 'Female' and 'Trans/Transgender'. It now says this but the third and fourth are superfluous and highly misleading:

@TaviAndPort @mragilligan 7. And their job application form, in its Equality monitoring section, still asks for 'gender' but gives the options that relate to sex:

@TaviAndPort @mragilligan 8. That the Trust - as the main provider of gender identity services on the NHS - should make such fundamental and misleading errors in its terminology is staggering.

Thank you to @TaviAndPort for correcting their error I pointed out where they said 'gender' was a protected characteristic and not sex. They have just updated their Equality policy to version 5.0.1. I hope they will also deal with the other issues.

tavistockandportman.nhs.uk/documents/81/p…

@TaviAndPort @mragilligan 9. I hope now, however, that they will review all their other policies, website, etc to make sure it corrects nonsense such as this so patients are not misled about their condition or treatments:

cc @NHSEngland

//END

10. Thank you to @TaviAndPort for correcting their error I pointed out where they said 'gender' was a protected characteristic and not sex. They have just updated their Equality policy to version 5.0.1. I hope they will also deal with the other issues.

tavistockandportman.nhs.uk/documents/81/p…

@TaviAndPort @threadreaderapp unroll