Amnesty warns over rejection of LGBTQ+ health guide

Amnesty International and three other organisations are deeply concerned after a committee in the Region of Southern Denmark rejected a pocket guide for health professionals, DR reports.

The guide includes a glossary and advice on LGBTQ+-inclusive practice. A majority on the region’s executive committee wants it revised, including to state that there are only two genders and to remove what it called “woke ideological expressions”, such as “hen”.

Venstre proposed the changes, which were backed by Liberal Alliance, the Danish People’s Party, the Conservatives and the Denmark Democrats. Amnesty International, Sund LGBT+, Social Sundhed and Normkritiske læger have written to regional council chair Bo Libergren, saying that “patients do not disappear because we remove the words that describe them”.

Social Democrats, the Socialist People’s Party, the Social Liberals and the Red-Green Alliance used their right to halt the proposal, meaning it will be debated by the regional council on October 26. The guide’s future remains uncertain.

Libergren confirmed he had received the letter but said he would wait for the council’s public debate before commenting.

The organisations fear the debate over acceptable words is overshadowing the health issues. They warn that rejecting the guide could discourage LGBTQ+ people from seeking healthcare, and leave them facing gaps in knowledge and inappropriate assumptions about gender, sexuality and family structures that could prevent them from getting help, treatment and preventive care.