There’s a narrative I hear often: “She can’t speak as a doctor, she doesn’t have a licence to practice.”

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And do you know what? They’re right, I don’t hold a licence to practice medicine any more. And, do you know what else, I’m delighted about that.

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I chose to allow my licence to lapse because I no longer wanted to be bound by a regulatory system that has not yet caught up with the needs, rights, and lived experiences of trans people. The frameworks are still incomplete. The guidance is still emerging. Worse, in some cases, those shaping the rules are influenced by politics, fear, and misinformation rather than by law, evidence, compassion, or the voices of those they need to protect.

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Remaining within that system would have silenced me and it would have made me cautious. It would have risked my ability to speak openly, honestly, and bravely on behalf of a community that continues to be marginalised and harmed by slow, outdated processes.

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So I made my decision and changed my career focus to help thousands at a time rather than one at a time. 

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I may not practise medicine today, but I do practise something far more urgent:

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I practise advocacy and truth-telling. I practise standing behind, beside and for the people who are too often left behind.

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I didn’t give up being a doctor. I gave up a licence, and it gave me my freedom. 

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I am proud to use my knowledge and experience, my platform, and this freedom to shine a light on change that needs to happen, policies that need to be made and laws that need to be enforced.

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I am a doctor, my medical degree gives me that, and now I am a doctor with a gigantic purpose. 

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