10 Questions with LGBTQ+ Advocate, Dr Duncan McGregor

We asked Dr Duncan McGregor about LGBTQ+ advocacy and the work of GLADD, the Association of LGBTQ+ Doctors and Dentists.

1. Thank you for participating in this interview with us, Dr McGregor. Would you mind starting with a bit of background information about yourself and GLADD?

Yes, thank you. My name is Dr Duncan McGregor and I’m an anaesthetic trainee working in Greater Manchester.

GLADD is the UK’s only organisation for LGBTQ+ doctors, dentists, and medical students. We’re a non-profit organisation. The work we undertake broadly falls into three categories: education, activism, and networking.

2. How did you originally get involved with GLADD?

In my early years of medical school, an email fell into my inbox about a conference for LGBTQ+ medical students and that’s when I first heard about GLADD. I went along to the conference and it was my first ever medical conference, it was very exciting. I’ve been hooked ever since!

3. What has been your experience in the organisation?

Being LGBTQ+ is one part of your identity and being a medical professional is another, and where those circles on the Venn diagram overlap I found this niche but incredible community, full of people who I had an immediate connection with. I found a lot of support throughout the years and hope to have been able to pay that forward and give support myself.

4. What kind of advocacy work is GLADD involved in?

Most recently we were involved in how the GMC apologised earlier this year for sanctioning doctors who were prosecuted under historic homophobic laws. These sanctions were happening as recently as the 80s and measures included requirements for psychiatric treatment.

5. Working on that kind of advocacy is very important but also must weigh heavily on you, can you speak to that?

I was really upset actually by the response, particularly on social media, around the GMC apology. It’s an incredibly emotive subject and the spectre of it still exists today. I remember an older doctor, a mentor to me, who spoke to me about being told certain practices would not consider “employing a homosexual.” I know doctors who have chosen not to go into certain fields based on harmful stereotypes around gay men. These subjects are important today because that community trauma still lingers on.

6. That speaks to why advocacy is still so important. And I’m sure the work is ongoing, what is GLADD working on now?

There’s lots going on at the minute. Predominately issues around a ban on conversion therapy. The commitment on the ban has been trashed by the current government so there’s ongoing work to find workarounds outside the government. There has been defunding of the Rainbow Badges project, which has been a hugely positive project that has incorrectly been seen as superfluous.

Within this ongoing culture war, there has been increasing anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment which is very scary. As someone who is not just out as LGBTQ+ but an active advocate of LGBTQ+ it makes you afraid to continue to fight the battle and make the challenges that need to be made.

7. How could someone who has no history with GLADD get involved?

We’re a very welcoming organisation, you can join in whatever way suits you. We’ve had people who have never had interaction with the organisation and come right into a committee position. Likewise, some people just come along to social events and then there’s a wide spectrum of involvement in between.

We run social events throughout the year, we have an annual conference, we have a presence at London Pride and are expanding to other Pride events across the country.

I would say to anyone interested if you are passionate and want to support our aims then come along. You don’t have to have come to any events if you want to join the committees. Our work is flexible around people’s busy schedules.

8. Why is it important for anaesthetists to be aware of LGBTQ+ issues in healthcare?

I think it can be easy to be in a mindset of ‘I’m an anaesthetist, I’m just putting them to sleep’ and that would be a problematic mindset. It’s easy to downplay the impact we can have on minoritised patients. The perioperative journey can play a massive role in a patient’s impression of healthcare and anaesthetists are a vital part of it. It’s important to remember the huge number of LGBTQ+ patients that actively avoid healthcare because of bad interactions. To have a positive interaction and make someone feel comfortable and seen in a healthcare environment can make a tremendous difference.

9. And for those outside the LGBTQ community, what can people do to be good allies?

Practising allyship takes work and learning. Being an ally is not an identity it’s a behaviour, an ongoing behaviour. You can’t do something once and ‘be’ an ally. Put in the work to get involved with high quality, ethical Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). Challenging yourself and seeking out people to challenge you is a great first step.

10. We’re conducting this interview during Pride month! Why is Pride important?

Pride is such an inclusive and supportive environment. But it’s also important to remember that Pride is a protest and has always been a protest. It’s important to engage thoughtfully and deliberately with what Pride is and how it should be. There are joyous moments, and it can be a party, and I love that display of pride in who we are. But we must resist attempts to sanitise pride to make it fit a certain narrative. It was Pride that brought our community to the minds of so many people during LGBTQ+ liberation. Our strength is in our community.

We are very grateful to Duncan for taking the time to speak with us. For more information and resources please visit the GLADD website.