Four Fellows and the CEO of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) will march with the Pride in Medicine float at the Mardi Gras Parade in Sydney on Saturday 25th February.
The Pride in Medicine float is supported by the RACGP and 12 other medical colleges for the first time. 2023 is a significant year for Pride in Australia – it is the 50th anniversary of the first Gay Pride Week, the 45th anniversary of the first Mardi Gras Parade and marks five years of Australian marriage equality.
The parade will be the biggest event of the Sydney WorldPride and Mardi Gras Festival, with 12,500 people marching for pride, self-expression and equality under the festival's theme Gather, Dream, Amplify.
RACGP members and staff marching with the float are GPs Dr Tom Dickson, Dr George Forgan-Smith, Dr Rebekah Hoffman and Associate Professor Ruth McNair; and RACGP CEO Paul Wappett.
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said the RACGP's support for Pride in Medicine reflects the College's work to build a more inclusive culture in the organisation and profession.
"We are proud to support this float by the Pride in Medicine group, who do so much to provide a supportive community for medical practitioners," she said.
"LGBTQIA+ people still experience prejudice, and still experience worse health outcomes. There's no excuse for that in 2023. Doctors take an oath against discrimination in healthcare and for support of their peers. We have a duty to end that health inequality and ensure all staff are welcomed in our workplaces.
"We're on a journey of change at the RACGP and have been working hard to build an inclusive culture, and supporting our LGBTQIA+ members, staff and the communities in which they operate is an important part of that."
Pride in Medicine is a group of LGBTQIA+ doctors, medical students and allies that provides support and information sharing among members. There are over 120 current members from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, in all stages of their medical careers.
Pride in Medicine vice-president and treasurer Associate Professor James Lee, an endocrine surgeon in Melbourne, said no LGBTQIA+ person, including doctors, should feel the need to hide or suppress that part of their identity. He said Pride in Medicine and its float at the Mardi Gras Parade aims to increase visibility of LGBTQIA+ practitioners and better connect the LGBTQIA+ community to the medical professions.
"The WorldPride theme – Gather, Dream, Amplify – is about articulating the future we want for the LGBTQIA+ community, and calling for support to realise it," he said.
"We are excited to have the support of 13 medical colleges, including the RACGP, across both countries. We want junior doctors to feel empowered to choose their desired career path regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
"Many doctors and medical students still feel unable to be true to their LGBTQIA+ identity in the healthcare setting, and so do many of our patients. For LGBTQIA+ patients, this can lead to poorer health outcomes and experiences. We want to help close this gap, so all doctors and medical students can bring their authentic selves to work and all patients can seek timely care without fear of discrimination or judgement. Pride in Medicine supports current and future doctors to create that world by providing a community that can hear and understand their challenges, guide them and advocate for them and their patients."
