Emily Brothers, Labour’s first transgender Parliamentary Candidate who stood in Sutton and Cheam last Year, has welcomed today’s Transgender Equality Inquiry Report published by The House of Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee.
Ms Brothers - who is also blind and hard of hearing, is now seeking election to the London Assembly - said:
“An Inquiry into ‘transgender equality’ has been long overdue, so I really welcome the initiative that Maria Miller has taken to set out a clear roadmap for securing change. The ball is now in the Government’s court, so I want to see them respond positively in a co-ordinated way and to act with a sense of purpose.
“There is no place for complacency. With half of young trans people and a third of trans adults attempting suicide, .....I know, I was one of them....., Things have to change. That means self identity, not a complex and bureaucratic process. It also requires action to build knowledge and capacity in primary care and specialist Gender Identity Clinics, instead of a postcode lottery and long illegal referrals making transitioning so intolerable for so many trans people.
“Whilst some progress has been made by the NHS in recent years, the Government needs to commit to undertaking a root and branch review. Gender identity is a sense of self, not a mental illness, so services need to change with that in mind.
“I welcome proposals to widen the scope of the Equality Act (2010) to cover gender identity, build on the Gender Recognition Act (2004) and strengthen hate crime provisions. However, I’m disappointed that the Committee hasn’t recommended removing the ‘spousal veto’, essentially confining marriage to the traditional gender binary.
“Since ‘coming out’ just over a year ago, I have spoken extensively around the country. I’ve been really struck by the numbers of young people who are non-gendered in some way. The Committee has also tapped into that changing dynamic, not least with their recommendation to provide an X option on passports. With barometric and other identifying factors, I don’t really see the need for gender markers, so they haven’t gone far enough.
“Whilst the Inquiry recommendations deal with much of the immediate concerns of trans people, it fails to address the economic and social inequality trans people experience. Today’s report focuses on our sense of identity, protection and transitioning. After all that, we need to get on with living. For too many trans people that means poverty, poor housing, employment discrimination and wider prejudice. That’s why much more will need to be done in improving the life chances of trans people.”
“An Inquiry into ‘transgender equality’ has been long overdue, so I really welcome the initiative that Maria Miller has taken to set out a clear roadmap for securing change. The ball is now in the Government’s court, so I want to see them respond positively in a co-ordinated way and to act with a sense of purpose.
“There is no place for complacency. With half of young trans people and a third of trans adults attempting suicide, .....I know, I was one of them....., Things have to change. That means self identity, not a complex and bureaucratic process. It also requires action to build knowledge and capacity in primary care and specialist Gender Identity Clinics, instead of a postcode lottery and long illegal referrals making transitioning so intolerable for so many trans people.
“Whilst some progress has been made by the NHS in recent years, the Government needs to commit to undertaking a root and branch review. Gender identity is a sense of self, not a mental illness, so services need to change with that in mind.
“I welcome proposals to widen the scope of the Equality Act (2010) to cover gender identity, build on the Gender Recognition Act (2004) and strengthen hate crime provisions. However, I’m disappointed that the Committee hasn’t recommended removing the ‘spousal veto’, essentially confining marriage to the traditional gender binary.
“Since ‘coming out’ just over a year ago, I have spoken extensively around the country. I’ve been really struck by the numbers of young people who are non-gendered in some way. The Committee has also tapped into that changing dynamic, not least with their recommendation to provide an X option on passports. With barometric and other identifying factors, I don’t really see the need for gender markers, so they haven’t gone far enough.
“Whilst the Inquiry recommendations deal with much of the immediate concerns of trans people, it fails to address the economic and social inequality trans people experience. Today’s report focuses on our sense of identity, protection and transitioning. After all that, we need to get on with living. For too many trans people that means poverty, poor housing, employment discrimination and wider prejudice. That’s why much more will need to be done in improving the life chances of trans people.”