YWCA Great Britain’s Response to the Government dropping plans to reform the GRA to include self-identification

On September 22nd, 2020, the UK Government announced that they intend to make only minimal improvements to the Gender Recognition Act in England and Wales. We condemn the UK Government’s lack of action in regards to supporting trans people to live their lives with the dignity and respect that they deserve. The Government also has no plans to allow the recognition of non-binary people, contrary to the fundamental need already voiced by so many non-binary and trans people. 

The YWCA believes it is a fundamental human right for people to live and be recognised as the gender that they are. We applaud Labour’s position of being in favour of self-identification and that the 2004 Gender Recognition Act (GRA) is outdated and in need of reform.

In 2018 the Government had a consultation on the GRA where 70% of the respondents called for self-identification, just like we did. One of our trustees, Anna Lee, gave oral evidence, in favour of self-identification, to the Women and Equality Select committee in 2015, when they held their first enquiry - “the transgender enquiry”.

The YWCA calls for the Government to rethink its announcement and to commit to reform the GRA 2004 to have self-identification. Self-identification laws have been a great success in Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Argentina and would return the United Kingdom to world-leading status for gender recognition. Nonetheless, the Scottish Government believes that the current process of legally changing your gender is outdated. The Scottish Government hopes to pass a new GRA, which will put it ahead of England and Wales. This would mean applicants no longer need to have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria or prove that they have been living as their acquired gender for two years. Lastly, the Government is also considering lowering the age that a person can apply to change their legally-recognised gender from 18 to 16.

Supporting trans rights is a feminist issue; when trans people are discriminated against, we are failing as a society. Trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary identities are valid. This Government is failing trans people and is pandering to gender critical “feminists” and cis rights campaigners. At a time when Petra De Sutter, an openly transgender woman, was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister in the Belgium Government - the first ever in Europe, it becomes starkly evident how outdated and unprogressive the UK government for England and Wales really is! 

We stand in solidarity with trans people across the world and support charities campaigning specifically on this issue, particularly Stonewall and Mermaids.

Read the UK Government’s announcement at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-09-22/hcws462