Transgender doctor reinstated after being dismissed for 'disrupting general morals'

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Larin Kayataş, a transgender doctor who was dismissed from the profession for allegedly "undermining general morals" in 2021, has announced that she has been reinstated.

According to the verdict shared by Kayataş on Twitter, an appeals court ruled that her dismissal was unlawful. Kayataş will also be compensated with 20 months of doctor's salary with interest.

"Regards, Doctor Larin Kayataş, on behalf of a democratic, secular, and free Republic of Turkey," she wrote.

During the period when she was dismissed from her post, Kayataş had spoken to bianet, expressing her desire to return to her job as soon as possible: "While studying at Çapa Faculty of Medicine, I never experienced discrimination from our professors or student colleagues. I even completed my gender transition process during that time. It was very difficult, but I managed to overcome that process.

"I successfully completed my academic journey, and I finally started my profession. However, due to a nurse's complaint, I am now unable to practice my profession. I am very saddened by this."

What happened?

Dr. Larin Kayataş had been assigned to work as a doctor under compulsory service at İstanbul's Taksim Training and Research Hospital. After her dismissal, she revealed that she had faced systematic mobbing, pressure, and discrimination during her tenure.

She shared her experiences on social media, saying that the day after her assignment, a hospital staff member had complained about her to the Presidency Communication Center (CİMER) because they deemed her "behavior and demeanor as not complying with general morals."

As a result, just one month after her appointment, she was temporarily suspended from duty for three months solely based on this complaint.

According to Kayataş, the İstanbul Provincial Health Directorate also initiated a disciplinary investigation. Subsequently, she received a reprimand, and on September 13, 2021, she was dismissed from her civil service and her duties as a physician were terminated. (EMK/VK)