In a huge show of solidarity, 72 organisations and LGBT+ groups write to government in support of trans rights
Protesters demonstrate outside the Scottish Parliament for reform of the Gender Recognition Act. (Ken Jack/Getty Images)
In an “unprecedented” show of solidarity, 72 organisations have written to politicians in Scotland in support of trans rights and reforming gender-recognition laws.
Sports clubs, police associations, health charities, LGBT+ groups and political parties all condemned recent attempts to “isolate the trans community from the wider LGBT community”.
The letter comes after the Scottish government published draft plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act.
The draft bill sets out a new devolved process to replace the UK-wide system of gender recognition – which would end the need for trans people to provide medical evidence to a gender recognition panel in order to update the gender on their birth certificates.
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Today, politicians in Scotland received a letter strongly supporting the government’s plans to implement these reforms and support trans people.
The letter says: “We have been concerned by attempts by some to isolate the trans community from the wider LGBT community; this goes against everything we stand for. Trans people are the women, men, and non-binary people that they say they are.
“We stand in support of a reformed [GRA] that enables trans people to more smoothly change their birth certificates to match their lives and other identity documents.”
Stuart Duffy, founder of Scottish LGBT+ media website Pink Saltire, said this is an “unprecedented” show of support for the trans community in Scotland, showing that “we will not be divided on this issue”.
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And LGBT+ Conservatives, Labour and Greens all signed the letter, which backs reforming the Gender Recognition Act to de-medicalise the process by which trans people update the gender on their birth certificates.
Dr Rebecca Crowther, policy co-ordinator at the Equality Network, said: “We know that an overwhelming majority of the LGBT community support trans equality. The LGBT groups and organisations that have signed this letter prove just that.
“It is vital that the LGBT community and allies continue to stand together to ensure that Scotland continues to be a progressive and inclusive country for all and that this is reflected in policy and legislation.”
