Venstre rejects LGBTQ+ patient guide over gender terminology

Venstre and a majority of right-leaning members in Region Southern Denmark have rejected a draft guide for healthcare staff because of its language on gender, DR reports. The party wants the pocket guide revised before the region endorses it.

The guide contains word lists and advice for conversations with LGBTQ+ patients. Nurse Maria Stevenson, who works in the gynaecology department at Odense University Hospital, said she hoped it would offer practical tips for using gender-neutral language and help staff meet patients with curiosity.

“You might be tempted to call it a women’s department, but someone can have female sex organs and not identify as a woman,” Stevenson said.

Venstre’s regional group leader, Pernelle Jensen, said the party wanted to make clear that there are two sexes. Its proposed changes say the guide should reflect that view and avoid what it calls “woke ideological expressions”, including the pronoun “hen”. Jensen said the party had no objection to staff making individual arrangements with patients, but did not want the region to prescribe terminology to employees.

The pocket guide was produced by the organisation Social Sundhed with input from a working group that included people from hospitals, the region and the social services sector. Stevenson said healthcare professionals had asked for help because they recognised that some patients were not being adequately accommodated.

Jensen said she had heard from both employees unhappy with the decision and others who welcomed it. Stevenson, who also has a master’s degree in sexology, said the discussion should better distinguish between biological sex and gender identity. She said the debate risked sending a message that LGBTQ+ patients were not accepted.

The Social Democrats, Socialist People’s Party, Social Liberals and Red-Green Alliance have called for the issue to be discussed by the regional council on Monday. Asked whether there are more than two genders, council deputy chair Mette With Hagensen of the Social Democrats declined to take a political position, saying the focus should be on treating patients equally and respectfully.