TFN uncovered posts by David Wylie during the Olympics
An under-fire Dean at a 400-year-old charity-run college has left his position after facing heavy criticism for participating in “frenzies of abuse" on social media.
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG) - a self-described ”inclusive, global community” - said that “hurt” will have been caused as a result of the posts of its Dean of Faculty of Podiatric Medicine, David Wylie.
News of Wylie’s behaviour on social media came just days before the college held its flagship International Conference of Podiatric Medicine in September - an event which the Dean was the public face of.
Wylie then deleted his Twitter/X account, which had seen the professional post more than 30 times throughout the Olympics - sharing content which falsely claimed men had been allowed to compete against women.
The former Dean’s posts had a particular focus on trans individuals and what he described as “biological men” in the women’s categories.
But he has now left his position, with the RCPSG declining to comment on the circumstances of Wylie’s departure.
The RCPSG’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy states that the college is “committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and providing a culture which actively values difference”, stating that those in leadership positions, such as Wylie, should act as “as overall champions” on equality, diversity and inclusion.
A spokesperson for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow told TFN in September that “a member” of their community had shared content “that is not in keeping with our college values”, with members of the College’s council “reminded’ of their social media responsibilities.
The college also apologised for the “hurt caused by these posts”.
But Wylie has now left his post.
Much of Wylie's ire followed attacks on Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, after it was falsely claimed that she was being allowed to compete despite being “male”.
High-profile figures such as JK Rowling and Elon Musk led online attacks on Khelif, with significant misinformation being shared as a result.
The row centred on the 25-year-old having been previously disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the women’s World Championships after allegedly failing a “gender eligibility test”.
The IBA had been expelled by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over financial and corruption concerns, and has since failed to provide any proof of its findings on Khalife.
The Algerian Olympic Committee, the AOC, said Khelif had been the victim of “unethical targeting”, “maligning”, and “baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets” during the Olympics in Paris.
Khelif went on to win gold and has now lodged a legal case due to online harassment, which included what is being described as a “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign”.
Fellow boxer Lin Yu Ting of Taiwan faced similar attacks at the Olympics, despite also being born a woman and competing alongside other women at the Olympics.
Responding to the original concerns, Hugh Torrance, executive director of LEAP Sports - Scotland's LGBTQI+ sports charity - told TFN: "All of us have a responsibility to avoid spreading misinformation, and the Khelif/Yu-ting situation is a reminder to stop and consider the impact of our actions before adding to online frenzies of abuse."
RCPSG has been asked for comment.
