Leeds Pride 2022

If you’re at Leeds Pride on Sunday come visit our stall in the Pride Market Place!

We have blank deed polls you can fill in on the stall, and we will sign it for you as your witnesses!

You can also generate and print off a deed poll through the following link and bring it along if you just need witnesses to sign it. This would be more presentable since the ones we will have on the stall need to be filled in by hand.

https://freedeedpoll.org.uk/

We can print it for you if you email Natasha a copy this evening. natasha@transhope.co.uk

We’ll also have a great bunch of policy documents if you want to chat about anything policy related for trans people.

AND FREE HEAD PATS because you are all very good peeps and deserve them

International Non-Binary People’s Day

Sending out huge love to our non-binary siblings.

Today is International Non-Binary People’s Day. To say non-binary people have it rough is an understatement. Not only do they have the familiar struggles binary trans people face, such as inaccessible healthcare and rampant transphobia, they are still fighting to be recognised for who they are.

As part of the reform of the Gender Recognition Act, we prayed that non-binary people would be included, because at the moment the only options for updating your birth certificate are only male and female.

This means the current Gender Recognition Act doesn’t even serve the majority of transgender people. Out of the 14,000 transgender respondants to the Gov’s LGBT Survey, over HALF identified themselves as being non-binary. They are a core part of our community.

However, it *has* been confirmed that non-binary people are protected under the Equality Act following the case of Taylor vs Jaguar Land Rover. Jaguar Land Rover were ordered to pay £180,000 to a gender fluid employee who was mistreated by colleagues and ignored by management. Land Rover Jaguar must now improve their workplace and provide evidence to the courts on how they are improving.

It is a small win in the grand scheme of things. But we will keep fighting. We will keep looking after one another. We will listen and we will grow and we will speak out.

To our non-binary friends, know that we see you and we love you.

To everyone one else, be kind. Listen to non-binary people and respect them for who they are. Keep them in mind and involve them when drafting policy, and consider how your workplace or organisation can better welcome them.

Council of Europe in Leeds

The Council Of Europe are in Leeds this week to put together an intercultural profile of the city.

Myself (representing Leeds LGBT+ Community Hub ), Liaqat Ali (Cofounder of Leeds LGBT+ Pride), and Cllr Jonathan David Pryor met with them in the Freedom Quarter to show them around and tell them about Leeds’ LGBT+ community and organisations.

The Council of Europe is an international human rights organisation set up after World War 2 that represents 46 member states including the UK. Earlier this year, they rightly condemned the “virulent attacks” on LGBT+ rights by the UK media and government, noting how the transgender community is especially being targeted.

GIC Waiting Times Over 4 Years

TL:DR – The NHS is being take to court for the GIC waiting times. Please support the crowdfunding campaign. #pridemonth

Just been chatting to my girlfriend about the waiting times for the Gender Identity Clinics. She was referred in November 2018 and still hasn’t had her first appointment. That’s nearly 4 years when the constitutional waiting time on the NHS is supposed to be 18 weeks.

I was referred in 2015 and it took 20 months for my first appointment.

Both sides of the chart are terrible. But the wait times right now are unimaginably bad and, as you can see, they are getting worse.

In response, a groundbreaking legal challenge against the years-long healthcare waits UK trans people face on the NHS will now be heard in court.

Gendered Intelligence and the Good Law Project have been given permission to bring a judicial review against NHS England on grounds stemming from massive waiting lists and failures by the NHS to help trans people access affirming healthcare.

The case will hopefully be heard around August and there’s 3 days left to donate to their crowdfunding campaign. Please support it if you can.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/we-are-just-people-too/

Meeting with MP Richard Burgon

Great to catch up with Richard Burgon MP . We discussed conversion therapy, the EHRC, the government’s failed Safe To Be Me conference, and the escalating transphobia that trans people face daily.

Richard says, “The decision to not go ahead with a ban on trans conversion therapy is appalling. How on earth is this still legal in the 21st century?”

He adds, “It’s important people have hope. There is little difference between the transphobia we see today and the homophobia people experienced in the 80s. Bigotry has no place in the UK, and as long as there are people who will stand against it, we will build a world of equality, free from discrimination, prejudice and transphobia.

“Solidarity with trans people here in East Leeds, across the country and around the world.”

Majority Want Ban On Conversion Therapy

Recent YouGov poll shows the majority of the country want to see a ban on conversion therapy that includes protection for transgender people. This is true across the political spectrum, age groups, and between men and women.

Only 14% don’t want a ban, and less than a quarter are unsure.

This follows a petition urging the government to ban trans conversion therapy exceeding 120,000 signatures, meaning it will have to be considered for a debate in Parliament.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/613556

Meeting with West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor

Great catching up with Alison Lowe, Deputy Mayor of West Yorkshire.

Alison has long been an ally to the trans community. We discussed the sharp increase in transphobic hate crime and what we can be doing to help improve the lives of trans people in West Yorkshire.

Alison says, “It’s something that’s very close to my heart. I’ve worked alongside TransLeeds for around 10 years.

“I am really disappointed to see these figures, but not surprised.

“It’s become fashionable to be transphobic. There’s lots of negativity online and I think that’s driving some of these increases.

“It’s right that we see what we can do to support those communities more and better.”

Gov LGBT Conference Cancelled

The government’s first ever global LGBT+ conference, ironically named Safe To Be Me, has been cancelled. This is thanks to over 120 of the UK’s LGBT+ organisations pulling out of the event in response to the government’s disgraceful decision not to ban transgender conversion therapy. This left the event with no UK participants, no sponsors, and no credibility.

Safe To Be Me was set to be a huge event but from the beginning it has faced widespread criticism from the LGBT+ community who note the government’s poor record when it comes to LGBT+ equality.

For example:

* Cancelling their own LGBT+ Action Plan

* Ignoring the results of a consultation into the Gender Recognition Act and deciding not to go ahead with reforms.

* Disbanding their LGBT Advisory Panel.

* Perpetually delaying their promised ban on conversion therapy.

These are just a few examples. Meanwhile homophobic, and especially transphobic hate crime and inequality rises year on year. The LGBT+ community have told the government loud and clear that it is not Safe To Be Me and we will not allow them to pinkwash their own failings.

Massive thanks to every one of the organisations who spoke out. Here’s hoping that this embarrassment for the government could result in a change of direction.

#NotSafeToBeMe

Ban Trans Conversion Therapy

In case you missed it. Yesterday afternoon, on Trans Day of Visibility, a document from Downing Street was leaked that revealed the Prime Minister had decided not to go ahead with the promised ban on conversion therapy. This was originally promised in 2018 and the government has been delaying it ever since, despite public support for a complete ban. Number 10 confirmed the leak was accurate.

Less than 4 hours later, the Prime Minister u-turned on his u-turn, due to the backlash from Tory MPs. However, they now say that they will only ban gay conversion therapy, but will still allow trans conversion therapy.

This is disgraceful. They suggest the reason for this is that a ban on trans conversion therapy would make it impossible for gender questioning young people to receive support.

This is a weak strawman. There are clear and obvious differences between people receiving therapy or counselling in regards to their gender identity, and conversion therapy. And those are its intent, and its result.

The intent of counselling is to help support a young person in finding their own answers in regards to their gender identity, and to help them cope while they navigate this path.

The intent of conversion therapy is to lead young people down the path of desistance, or gaslight them into believing they are something they are not.

The former is a method of support that, importantly, is led by the young person.

The latter is torture. The government recognises it is an abhorrent practice, but is willing to allow trans young people to be victims of it.

You can help by emailing your MP through the link below and let them know this is unacceptable. There is no LGBT without the T.

https://www.banconversiontherapy.com/

Trans Day Of Visibility

I’ve been very nostalgic today. It’s well over 5 years since I began doing trans community work in Leeds and 4 years ago was the first of two Trans Prides in the city which I helped make happen. In my Facebook memories there are pictures of *hundreds* of us gathered together and making ourselves known. It’s been such an incredible privilege to have been a part of so many people’s journeys and working with such amazing people to bring us all together.

The last 2 years has been different of course. It feels so isolating not having that connection to the community we used to have. When we could gather together and scream that we are here and we are going no where.

Looking at these photos, I know we *are* still here, and there’s more of us who are able to be visible than ever. Although many of us are still apart, I know we are thinking of each other today. And I see you. This year we aren’t marching the streets, but we will keep marching forward together.

We are our own flags. Fly them high, friends.

#TDOV