Why is England so behind Wales and Scotland?

Monday is an important day for Transgender people in the UK, the e-petition on banning conversion therapy for all that got over 145k signature’s is going to be debated in Westminster Hall at about 4:30pm. While I don’t expect anything to come from the debate, ie not pass onto the house, it is still an important milestone with that amount of support.

To put it in perspective, some estimates the trans population in the UK is 200k (2-500k is the official estimate) so if it is nearer the bottom end of the estimate, a large chuck of the transgender population signed it. I would like to also thank our Allies who voted on it as well.

Mark Drakeford says “Trans Women are Women”

Mark Drakeford, the first minister of Wales, has unequivocally declared that trans woman are women. He was questioned in the Senedd (The Welsh equivalent of Parliament) by Tory MS Laura Ann Jones about Trans Women participation in sports.

Drakeford however was not sucked in by the loaded question that is popular amongst anti-trans politicians in both the UK and US. He replied “My starting point is the same as Penny Mordaunt, the UK minister responsible at the time, who said the UK Government’s starting point was that transgender women are women, so thats my starting point in this debate”.

What a leader, what a star.

Violence against women being used to demonise trans people, says Church of Scotland Minister

A Church of Scotland group has supported research for Rape Crisis and Engender as a minister expressed concerns the voices of sexual assault survivors are being used to demonise trans people.

The Church of Scotland has backed government plans to remove the need of a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria for trans people looking to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). This measure has been proposed under the Gender Recognition Reform Bill which is currently working its way through Holyrood.

Reverend Karen Hendry, Minister of Yoker Parish Church and a representative of the Church of Scotland’s violence against women task group, Integrity, told the Scottish Parliament the rights and safety of women and girls as survivors of abuse along with the safeguarding of single-sex spaces have been used to “justify” arguments against the reform.

Rev Hendry said: “I want to be clear that Integrity is satisfied and convinced by the evidence offered by Engender, Rape Crisis and Scottish Women’s Aid that the advancement of trans rights does not endanger women and girls or encroach upon their rights. “We are concerned that the voices of survivors are being used in this way which risks confusing vulnerable women and demonising another vulnerable group.

Rev Hendry said the views she expressed represent “the broad majority” held within the Church of Scotland. However, the church has not shown equal support for measures that would lower the minimum age for a certificate to be obtained from 18-years-old to 16-years-old. Rev Hendry said the reason for this is because the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a person becoming an adult at 18.

Thoughts.

In Wales and Scotland the people in power are pro-trans, pro-non binary, so why isn’t England. What is different in England compared to them. Well lets point this out.

In Scotland, the local government is SNP.

In Wales, the local government is Labour.

In England, the local government is the UK Government, lead by the Tories.

Says a lot doesn’t it.

Remember, my local town, Blackburn in Lancashire, has its first ever Pride event on the 18th June, hope to see you there ! !

Kira Herdman