A formal complaint has, in April, been lodged with the General Medical Council (GMC) against the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) and three leading psychiatrists over the College’s public statements about homosexuality.
The complainants accuse the Royal College of neglecting its public duty by making misleading statements about same-sex attraction at the time of the same sex marriage Bill whereby it claimed that sexual orientation was biological and fixed at birth and then, quietly, a year later, stating that sexual orientation was neither inborn nor unchangeable. The complainants highlight the influence of the Royal College on public discourse and argue that its long delay and failure to publicise the eventual correction widely, constitute negligence.
Unethical?
In January, 14 UK organisations, including NHS England and the Royal College of General Practitioners, signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ which claimed that ‘efforts to try to change or alter sexual orientation through psychological therapies are unethical and potentially harmful.’
