Thursday 09-07-2020 - 09:07

With recent announcements of the Government’s intention to scrap proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act, alongside comments from the Women’s and Equalities Minister, Liz Truss, causing concern within LGBTQ+ groups, and more specifically, the transgender community, as the Edge Hill Students’ Union Trans and Non-Binary Officer I am strongly against the decisions of the current Government. 

 

In May 2020, Liz Truss put forward an intention to stop transgender individuals under the age of eighteen from undertaking gender affirming care with the idea being to protect under-eighteen year olds from ‘decisions that they could make, that are irreversible in the future.’ This policy would also see trans youth not being able to get puberty blockers and would restrict their access to hormones while also maintaining the lengthy process of changing one’s legal gender, as opposed to simplifying it. 

 

Liz Truss in a speech more recently has spoken more about the Government’s intention to also prioritise the protection of ‘single sex spaces’ which would effectively ban transgender people from using the bathroom they are most comfortable using in-line with their gender identity. 

 

Any situation where more checks and balances are put in place to stop members of the transgender community accessing vital services and support is dangerous, as has been pointed out by various LGBTQ+ campaign groups and activists who have already stated the government’s decisions will have a detrimental impact on trans people’s mental health.

 

With mental health already being a huge issue for members of the transgender community – 48% of all transgender people having considered or attempted suicide at least once in their life – I feel the Government’s  decisions therefore are not only dangerous but would lead to a rollback of trans rights which have been protected under the Equalities Act since 2010.

 

In preparation for the changes to this legislation, back in 2018, the government conducted a public consultation so they could understand gender in more detail and explore more ways in which the system could be improved. This consultation acknowledged that many trans people find the current requirements to change their gender legally to be too intrusive and difficult. Since then, the Government has disregarded this consultation. 

As an example of how this legislation affects members of the transgender community, I talked to Ruth Gilliam, a mature trans student at Edge Hill University, who expressed her difficulties and the barriers put in place when trying to live her life as a trans woman. 

 

She said, ‘The Government’s response to this thus far has been nothing short of worrying and alarming and would put even more barriers in place for trans people which would further have a negative impact on their mental health and safety.’

 

As an officer within a Students’ Union, I am concerned with the changes to this legislation and the very real possibility that the government may be trying to use the emergency measures put forward as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to push an ill-thought out and dangerous piece of legislation through the back door without proper considerations for the transgender community.

 

As your Trans and Non-Binary Officer, I am disgusted and appalled with the government’s scrapping of beneficial changes to this piece of policy in addition to the potential introduction of restrictive policy towards members of the trans community.

 

If you are too, there are things you can do to help. Mermaids UK have provided some excellent templates which can be sent to Elizabeth Truss and/or your local MP in order to put forward your view on the changes to this act. Please share this statement and encourage others to email their local MP if you feel as strongly as I do. 

 

If you are a member of the transgender community currently struggling with mental health, please reach out to the University Wellbeing Team, The Students’ Union, or the following helplines which can help you, don’t suffer in silence: 

 

• Lancashire LGBT+ 07788 295521 or email at hello@lancslgbt.org.uk 
• LGBT Foundation 0345 3 30 30 30 or email helpline@lgbt.foundation
• Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline: 0300 330 0630

 

 

Sam Colson, Trans and Non-Binary Officer 20/21