Friday 18 November 2022 02:11 PM The 'genderbread person' will see you now! NHS could start sticking ... trends now
Posters featuring the hugely-controversial 'genderbread person' could be rolled out across an NHS trust.
The diagram is used to illustrate the difference between gender identity, expression, sex and sexual orientation.
But critics say it's 'unscientific nonsense'. The figure presents the idea that biological sex is a spectrum and that everyone has a gender identity. It's also been criticised for saying sexual orientation is based on gender rather than sex.
MailOnline can reveal officials at a Welsh health board are contemplating making the poster an official trust document.
Experts fear this could open the door to it being adopted by other NHS bodies.
In addition to carrying the genderbread person diagram, the poster also includes a claim that babies are 'assigned' a gender at birth.
Campaigners today said the poster being in the running for official NHS endorsement was a sign of how the health service had been 'indoctrinated' by woke ideology.
The poster, entitled the 'LGBTQ+ Education Board' features the disputed 'genderbread person' and is already in use at one hospital in Wales. But it could be rolled out to more in the future
The full poster features eight explainers on LGBTQ+ identity terminology and philosophies like pronouns as well why it is important NHS staff are familiar with them
They also criticised the poster for what they branded 'sexist' language and accused it of lying about gender being assigned at birth.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said no formal decision on rolling out the poster to the NHS across Wales has been made — but added that they were committed to improving inclusivity and awareness.
The 'LGBTQ+ Education Board' is already in use in the University Hospital of Wales.
One of its creators shared it online for ideas for a wider rollout across the health service.
The poster itself defines sex as the 'biological characteristics of a person's body' — saying this is 'usually' male, female or intersex.
In terms of gender identity, the poster explains this as 'how people interpret and view themselves' within society and culture. However, it added it is 'not always as simple as male or female'.
It also controversially claims that the gender of babies is assigned at birth.
The idea of medics assigning sex or gender at birth has been disputed in the past, with some professionals, like midwives, arguing they are only observing a biological reality, not assigning an identity.
A Welsh Government spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Our intention is always to use inclusive language and not exclude anyone from learning about and discussing these important topics.
'The Chief Nursing Officer is a strong advocate of supporting actions to improve awareness and services and encouraging feedback on how this can be achieved.
'This poster was not commissioned by NHS Wales and there has been no formal decision on the roll out of the poster across the NHS in Wales.'
The Government spokesperson added that the NHS logo has been removed from the current version while it is undergoing review.
The poster is currently being reviewed by a team at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board before a decision on its approval and wider use across the organisation is made.
A spokesperson for the Board said they were committed to inclusvity, and thanked the staff member for creating the poster.
'Across the organisation, we promote a culture of inclusivity and support our diverse and vibrant communities to feel comfortable being their true selves,' they said.
They added that the poster had not been officially commissioned but was the 'proactive' creation of a member of staff.
'One of our members of staff proactively sought an opportunity to raise awareness in this area to help deliver further person-centric healthcare,' they said.
'This was not a commissioned activity by NHS Wales or the Health Board, but a proactive response by a member of staff.'
Critics have taken issue with numerous aspects of the poster, including the notion that gender is assigned at birth
It also features as section on pronouns and how and when to use them, as well encouraging staff to add theirs to their staff badges
Sue Tranka, the CNO for Wales, has already expressed some interest in the poster on Twitter.
And the NHS Rainbow Badge Project, a consortium of LGBT charities including Stonewall to improve awareness in the health service, has offered to add it to the resources they send to hospitals.
The LGB Alliance, a charity supporting lesbian, gay and bisexual people, said the apparent support of the poster by the CNO for Wales was concerning given its ideological nature.
Charity co-founder Bev Jackson said: 'It is bad enough seeing TQ+ advocacy groups still circulating the childish and unscientific diagram known as the "Genderbread Person".'
'But when the Chief Nursing Officer in Wales endorses it, we have reached peak indoctrination.'
She added that the poster had several problematic areas.
'Among the other false and sexist titbits on this sheet are the incorrect definition of gay as "same-gender attracted" along with the lies that everyone has a gender identity and that "gender is assigned at birth based on physical sex".
'That last sentence, translated into English, means “Society often imposes different expectations and stereotypical roles on children according to their sex”.
'We need factual information in our education system and health service, not ideological dogmas.'
Defining gay as 'same-gender attracted' as opposed to same-sex attracted is controversial as it implies that people are attracted to gender identities, such as a biological male who identifies as a woman, rather than on the basis of sex.
The poster claims that it is important for NHS staff to be educated on LGBTQ+ issues due to stigma they experience.
It cites a 2018 report from the charity Stonewall, based on 5,000 participants, that found one in seven people avoid seeking healthcare out of fear of discrimination from health staff.
The poster's creator argues that education of NHS staff on LGBTQ+ identities and language is important due to the discrimination people experience and how it could put them off seeking help
That report also found that 53 per cent of participants had suffered from depression within the last year, and that almost half of trans people had contemplated killing themselves, so ensuring they are not afraid to approach health services was crucial.
After backlash online, Ms Tranka insisted the poster would be subject to a careful review before endorsement, as would be the case for any official resource.
'I am a professional and anything that is endorsed via my office requires a robust review of evidence, which is the process that we follow,' she said.
'This is no different and will adhere to those same standards. Hope this provides clarity.'
This is not the first time that the NHS in Wales has come under fire over woke language.
MailOnline revealed earlier this year that the terms 'women' and 'girls' had been omitted from NHS backed guidance about periods.
The online resource funded by the Welsh Government to give advice about menstruation omitted the words 'women' and 'girls' from its information.
Instead, the website, called Bloody Brilliant, which cost the taxpayer £84,000, used the terms 'people who bleed' and 'half of the population'.
Medics and campaigners described the language as 'infuriating' and 'confusing', warning it would complicate much needed health messaging for vulnerable girls.
MailOnline's exposure of the issue last month led to the branch of NHS Wales responsible for the advice stating the language would be changed to include 'women' and 'girls'.
It also comes just weeks after a hospital in Scotland was slammed for using a poster advising that boys as young as 12 faced being asked if they are pregnant.
The poster, at NHS Tayside was also criticised for referring to biological women and girls as 'people with internal reproductive organs'.
These are just some of woke language changes that have engulfed the NHS.
In England, the NHS's online guidance about the menopause had the terms 'women' and 'woman' removed earlier this year.
The webpage used to describe the condition as 'when a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally'.
But a new, gender-neutral description made in May, says: 'Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels'.
And in July midwives denounced claims they 'assign' the sex of children at birth.
The wording came from the Royal College of Midwives and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in an 'inclusivity' statement.
Their document said: 'We recognise maternity and gynaecological services will be accessed by women, gender diverse individuals and people whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.'
But some midwives hit back at the colleges, arguing that they merely 'observe' the reality of a baby's sex at birth — as opposed to deciding it themselves.
Here are some examples of the woke language changes that have engulfed NHS communications. Some of these examples have been taken from national NHS communications while others are used by individual hospitals
From 'chestfeeding' to 'human milk' and 'birthing PARENTS': How NHS language is going woke - with women quietly being scrubbed out of 'inclusive' advice pages
'Chestfeeding' instead of breastfeeding and asking men if they are pregnant before getting a scan are just two ways NHS language has gone woke recently.
NHS chiefs have repeatedly defended the changes, saying they want to be 'inclusive, respectful and relevant'.
But health experts have warned de-gendering medical advice could be dangerous as it over-complicates and obscures vital health messaging.
Here, we detail some of the ways the woke language storm has engulfed the health service.
Period page avoids 'women' and 'girls', instead uses 'people who bleed'
MailOnline revealed the terms 'women' and 'girls' had been omitted from NHS backed guidance about periods.
A website funded by the Welsh Government to give advice about menstruation omitted the words 'women' and 'girls' from its information.
Instead the website, Bloody Brilliant, which cost the taxpayer £84,000, used the terms 'people who bleed' and 'half of the population'.
Medics and campaigners described the language as 'infuriating' and 'confusing', warning it would complicate much needed health messaging for vulnerable girls.
The website was set up in 2021 with the aim of 'breaking the taboo around periods by encouraging conversation on one of the most normal, natural topics'.
MailOnline's exposure of the issue in August led to the branch of NHS Wales responsible for the advice stating language will now be changed to include 'women' and 'girls'.
Bloody Brilliant, an NHS commissioned website on periods was heavily criticised for refusing to mention 'women' and 'girls', instead
