Brighton transgender groups blast leaked Government 'plan'

A new Gender Recognition Act proposed by the Government two years ago was set to allow transgender people to change their legal gender by declaring it.

But the planned measures have been scrapped in a leaked paper setting out the Government’s long-delayed response to a consultation on the plan, according to a Sunday Times report.

This is despite 70 per cent of the 100,000 public responses supporting self-identification, the newspaper said.

Now transgender activists in Brighton have said their community has been “pushed aside” by government back-pedalling.

Brighton transgender groups have criticised leaked papers claiming the Government will backpedal on self-declaration for transgender people

“This is a human rights issue,” said leaders of Brighton transgender charity The Clare Project and community group Queer, Transgender and Intersex People of Colour Narratives.

“Why conduct a public consultation if you are then going to reject the results?

“After decades of hardship, oppression, violence and attacks, here we are in 2020, still being pushed aside.”

Under current rules, anyone wishing to change their legal gender must pay £140, have two medical references, and must have been living as their chosen gender for two years.

The Brighton groups also criticised reported government plans to “protect” female-only spaces for women and introduce guidelines regarding public toilets in response to the rise of gender-neutral toilets.

“The rhetoric around bathrooms and genitals is especially galling since trans people have been peacefully using the facilities which feel safest to them for a long time,” the groups said.

Transgender activists criticised reports the Government plans to introduce guidance on public toilets

“Trans people are often very afraid to use public toilets for fear of hate speech or worse.

“There is no evidence trans people are a violent threat, this is a below-the-belt blow to some of our most vulnerable community members.

“Segregation of minority groups due to twisted and inaccurate scaremongering is inherently wrong. Perpetrators of violence enter spaces regardless of what symbol is on the door or what the sign says.”

The Sunday Times said the Gender Recognition Act paper is set to be published by Equalities Minister Liz Truss at the end of July. A Number Ten source said details of the response were yet to be finalised.

A Government Equalities Office spokesman said: “We will publish our response to our consultation on the Gender Recognition Act this summer.”