A backbench business debate on a motion relating to transgender equality will be held in the Commons Chamber on Thursday 1 December 2016. This Debate Pack gives a brief overview of the issues together with links to relevant materials.
Transgender equality (193 KB , PDF)
A backbench business debate on a motion relating to transgender equality will be held in the Commons Chamber on Thursday 1 December 2016. This Debate Pack gives a brief overview of the issues together with links to relevant materials.
Gender reassignment is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Under the Gender Recognition Act 2004, people can apply to the Gender Recognition Panel for legal recognition of their acquitted gender – a Gender Recognition Certificate. However, many trans people live in their acquired gender without doing this.
The Women and Equalities Committee published a report on Transgender Equality on 14 January 2016. The report criticised the Gender Recognition Act 2004 for its “medicalised approach” which, it argued, pathologised trans identities and ran “contrary to the dignity and personal autonomy of applicants.”
The report discussed a range of other issues, including:
In its Response to the report, published on 7 July 2016, the Government committed to review the Gender Recognition Act 2004 to explore possible changes to streamline and de-medicalise the gender recognition process. It also promised a new action plan for transgender equality.
In her submission to the Backbench Business Committee, the Committee’s Chair, Maria Miller welcomed the review the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and the new action plan, but said there were shortcomings in other legislation and in public service provision to trans people which needed further debate.
Some feminists have criticised the Committee’s report for its emphasis on self-declared “gender” at the expense of sex as a protected characteristic. Others have welcomed the report. Current Parliamentary material on gender recognition is available on the gender recognition topic page.
There is a separate Library Briefing Paper 7420 on Transgender Prisoners.
Transgender equality (193 KB , PDF)
This briefing paper looks at Hate Crime in England & Wales using figures provided by the Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) and the Police Recorded Crime Series. The paper also presents data on hate crime rates per 100,000 population in each police force area and for each hate crime strand. It also looks at similar figures in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The tables that accompany the briefing paper are currently being updated.
This Commons Library briefing paper deals with the Registers of Births and Deaths Bill 2021-22, a Private Member's Bill introduced by Saqib Bhatti. The intention of the Bill is to reform the way in which births and deaths are registered in England and Wales
On Thursday 25th November, MPs will hold a general debate in the Chamber on freedom of religion or belief and the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the elimination of religious intolerance.
