Dr Jereth Kok Guilty of Professional Misconduct for Social Media Posts, Tribunal Rules, Kurt Mahlburg, 28 July 2025 NEWS
A landmark free speech case has found that Dr Jereth Kok’s Christian and conservative views disqualify him from medical practice, even though his social media posts weren’t directed at patients and most were shared with limited visibility.
In a 186-page ruling handed down last Tuesday, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) found that Dr Kok’s deeply held religious views, expressed on social media between 2008 and 2022, were sufficient grounds to indefinitely suspend him from the medical profession.
Dr Kok — who had no prior history of patient complaints or professional misconduct before his suspension — now faces a separate sanctions hearing in early 2026 that could result in the full cancellation of his medical license.
In Medical Board of Australia v Dr Jereth Kok, VCAT assessed 85 social media posts made by Dr Kok on topics ranging from abortion to same-sex marriage, sex change surgery for children, COVID-19 mandates and “conversion therapy” bans.
The Tribunal concluded that two-thirds of the posts “denigrated, demeaned and slurred” members of protected identity groups and other medical practitioners, and also contributed to vaccine hesitancy.
Featured among Dr Kok’s 54 incriminating posts were two articles from satirical news site The Babylon Bee, a Spectator Australia column authored by Moira Deeming, an open letter from the Australian Christian Lobby, an X post by children’s advocate Katy Faust, a link to the Ezekiel Declaration, comments left on Bill Muehlenberg’s website CultureWatch, and an article published at The Daily Declaration written by the author of this report.
Criticism of “Gender-Affirming Care” Penalised
Other posts cited in Dr Kok’s suspension took aim at so-called “gender-affirming care” — a protocol that can result in chemical and surgical castration, and that remains the subject of growing controversy and regulatory pushback around the world.
One involved a non-public Facebook repost of an article from The Spectator Australia, written by Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming and titled, “The cultural juggernaut of transgender ideology: not kids’ stuff”.
The Tribunal ruled that, by sharing Deeming’s article, Dr Kok “failed to behave professionally and courteously to other medical practitioners, as it referred to medical practitioners involved in the treatment of gender dysphoria as ‘mad scientists’ and engaging in transgender ideology”.
Another post, also shared with limited visibility, was a link to the Australian Christian Lobby’s “Open Letter to the Hon Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria”, to which Dr Kok added his own commentary:
Attention Victorian parents. One part of the diabolical ‘conversion or suppression’ bill that has received comparatively less attention: parents who try to STOP their child being sent away for bodily disfigurement will be charged with domestic violence. Yes, you read that right. Standing in the way of permanent bodily injury = violence. Sign this open letter to the Premier.
VCAT ruled that this post “failed to respect gender diversity” and was “denigrating, demeaning, disrespectful and derogatory to LGBTQI+ persons as it indicates that treatment for gender dysphoria is bodily disfigurement”.
Another post cited in the suspension of Dr Kok’s medical registration was an article he authored at Eternity News, formerly Australia’s flagship evangelical news website, titled “A Medical Perspective on Transgender”.
In ruling against Dr Kok, the Tribunal rejected his argument during cross-examination that gender dysphoria is a pathological or delusional belief analogous to other mistaken self-perceptions like anorexia nervosa. It also dismissed his claim that transgender identities are often shaped more by cultural trends and personal choice than irresistible feelings.
Jesus told us that in the last days persecution of Christians will increase because we hold to God’s values. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) found that Dr Kok’s deeply held religious views, expressed on social media between 2008 and 2022, were sufficient grounds to indefinitely suspend him from the medical profession.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:9-14