Medical colleges asked to amend unscientific information about LGBTQIA+ in textbooks

NEW DELHI: Medical institutions in India should not teach in a way that comes across as insulting or derogatory to those belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community and authors of medical textbooks must amend all "unscientific information," the National Medical Commission said on Wednesday.

Based on the Madras HC judgment from last month, the advisory dated October 13, 2021, says: "All the medical colleges, universities, and institutions are requested that while teaching UG and PG students wherever the issue of gender or similar kind of arise, the mention of Clinical history or complaints or sign or symptoms, examination findings or history about nomenclature shall not be taught in such a way that it becomes/perceived in any way derogatory or discriminatory or insulting to LGBTQIA+ community”.

The NMC advisory will be applicable for all medical colleges, universities, and higher PG institutions. The Commission has further advised that the authors of medical textbooks make amends to information pertaining to the virginity of LGBTQIA members and follow the available scientific literature and guidelines that have been issued by the government and are based on the directions of the court.

The educational institutions, meanwhile, have been asked to reject textbooks that have unscientific, derogatory and discriminatory information about the LGBTQIA+ community.

As per the available data, there are 542 medical colleges and 64 PG medical institutions in India.

A survey, conducted by Ipsos Research Pvt Ltd, in India this year shows that 3% of the Indian population identified as homosexual (including gay and lesbian), 9% identified as bisexual, 1% identified as pansexual and 2% identified as asexual.

Reshama Prasad, a member of the National Council for Transgender Persons, hailed this decision as much needed for the sake of the human dignity and rights of LGBTQIA people.

The Madras High Court last month observed that medical courses in India reaffirm queerphobia and discrimination against LGBTQIA+ communities and called for necessary reforms in the medical curriculum.