Editorial Note: The following article briefly outlines the main components of a basic model of gender identity ideology, a term which is increasingly used in the critical literature but which is rarely defined with any clarity. The piece is a slightly adapted version of a talk given by Peter recently to a group of staff working in the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. The piece is not referenced in the usual academic style, given that this was in the style of a more informal discussion piece. Peter Jenkins is a counsellor, supervisor, trainer and researcher in the UK. He has been a member of key committees of both the leading professional therapist associations in the UK, i.e. the BACP Professional Conduct Committee, and the UKCP Ethics Committee. He has published a number of books on legal aspects of therapy, including Professional Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy: Ethics and the Law (Sage, 2017). He writes regularly for Critical Therapy Antidote on gender issues in therapy. This article was previously published by Save Mental Health, a group which campaigns against the ideological capture of mental health services in the UK, and is reposted here with acknowledgement. — J.D. HaltiganGender Identity Ideology
So, where to start? The topic in hand is a very broad one, namely 'Gender ideology and its impact on healthcare in the UK'. Even the title is provocative, I guess. The very notion of 'gender ideology' is not accepted by some as being an accurate term, and it might be considered to be dismissive, or even offensive, by others. Therein lies the problem. I'm proposing that an ideology is a relatively consistent set of ideas, linked to achieving certain specific political goals. Outside of normal day-to-day politics, people following any set of ideas probably see their own approach as the 'truth' and therefore decidedly not up for debate. It's very difficult to accept that one's own ideas are actually part of a wider ideology, without having the willingness, or the ability, to step outside your own particular worldview and to be open to discussing ideas on their actual merits, rather than as a set of beliefs which are just not open to question.
Comment: See also: