LGBT+ Labour label party’s pushback against self-ID ‘unacceptable’
"Labour will bring progress, but its self-ID rowback is unacceptable"
LGBT+ Labour has released a statement about the “unacceptable” state of the party’s trans-self-ID commitment.
In the article written by Lily Soaper and Dylan Naylor, the party’s new stance on gender recognition is analysed.
Soaper is the National Co-Chair of LGBT+ Labour. Naylor is LGBT+ Labour’s National Trans Officer.
In July, shadow women and equalities secretary Anneliese Dodds outlined the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) won’t include self-ID.
Dodds noted plans to “modernise, simplify and reform” for trans people the GRA had been walked back.
“Labour will bring progress, but its self-ID rowback is unacceptable,” LGBT+ Labour’s article reads.
“Despite the commitments that have been made, it is unacceptable for the Labour Party to roll back on the promise to introduce a statutory form of self-ID.”
They add: “It is crucial that our party does not succumb to the pressure to water down commitments to achieve true equality for LGBT+ people.
“Frustratingly, the battle for equality for our community has never been easy or quick,” LGBT+ Labour’s article added.
They note that Dodds’ proposals to the gender dysphoria process where a panel of doctors is replaced by just one “is a step in the right direction.”
“The battle for true equality may well be slower than we would like”
However, LGBT+ Labour reiterates that they believe this process should not be medicalised.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) has previously attempted to pass the Gender Recognition Reform Bill.
The reform was an attempt to remove the need for a medical diagnosis to maintain a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).
The UK government then intervened and blocked the gender reform bill from passing.
The article added: “Whilst people continue to seek to divide it hinders progress for all but when united we can tackle the biggest issues.
“The battle for true equality may well be slower than we would like. But we’ll bank our successes, dust ourselves down, and keep pushing forward and fighting to achieve our ultimate aims.”