Lib Dems want to phase out ‘male’ and ‘female’ on documents
The Lib Dems today adopted a party policy calling for ‘male’ and ‘female’ to be phased out from documentation, as part of a trans and intersex rights motion.
The party’s conference in Bournemouth today voted to adopt a Transgender and Intersex Health Charter, proposed by members of the LGBT+ Liberal Democrats.
The new party policy, which was overwhelmingly passed, includes sweeping proposals to help individuals who identify as trans and intersex across a range of issues, including the introduction of a streamlined ‘Irish-style’ gender recognition system “to allow individuals to change their legal gender at will”.
It also calls for tick-box options for ‘male’ and ‘female’ to be dropped from most documentation and forms, saying: “[The Lib Dems call for] the phased removal of gender markers in documentation unless it is absolutely necessary, and the introduction of an ‘X’ gender option and ‘Mx.’ title option on the remainder”.
The party’s new policy also calls for urgent reforms to trans healthcare as backlogs spiral out of control, an end to involuntary ‘corrective’ surgery for children born intersex, and for the specific protection of gender identity and expression under anti-discrimination laws.
Lib Dem equalities spokesperson Baroness Hussein-Ece said: “The Liberal Democrats believe no should be left behind or discriminated against – regardless of race, gender, age, creed or sexual orientation.
“We’ve come a long way in this country towards achieving the equality transgender people want and deserve.
“But so much more needs to be done. That is why we have designed a package of measure to help reduce prejudice against the community.
“Transgender rights are human rights. We need both our health service and our laws to reflect this fundamental fact.”
