Transgender rights – motion from Cambridgeshire

Council notes:

• The recent Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers has significantly impacted the legal recognition of trans and non-binary individuals, restricting their rights and exacerbating discrimination.
• This ruling undermines the precedent set by Goodwin v United Kingdom (2002), which established trans individuals’ rights to legal gender recognition under the European Convention on Human Rights.
• Women and girls continue to face disproportionate levels of violence, particularly gender-based violence, including domestic abuse, sexual violence, and harassment.
• Trans women experience violence and discrimination at levels far exceeding their representation in the population, with evidence showing they are particularly vulnerable to hate crimes, physical assault, and systemic exclusion.
• Trans men and non-binary individuals face unique challenges, including discrimination in healthcare, barriers to legal recognition, and exclusion from gender-specific spaces and services.
• Many trans men and non-binary people struggle to access appropriate reproductive and sexual health services, due to systemic gaps in healthcare provision that fail to account for their needs.
• Schools, workplaces, and public services often fail to accommodate and support trans men and non-binary individuals, leading to increased mental health challenges and social isolation.
• Young LGBTQ+ people, particularly trans and non-binary youth, face significant barriers in education, healthcare, and social inclusion, leading to increased mental health challenges and social isolation.
• The Kite Trust, based in Cambridgeshire, provides essential support for LGBTQ+ young people, offering youth groups, one-to-one support, and advocacy to ensure they can thrive in safe and inclusive environments.
• Intersectionality must be recognised when addressing discrimination, as trans and non-binary individuals may also face additional barriers related to disability, race, socioeconomic status, or immigration status.

Council believes:

• Women and girls, including trans women, must be protected from gender-based violence, with appropriate support structures in place.
• Trans men and non-binary individuals face unique challenges that must be addressed in all council policies, services, and initiatives.
• Trans and non-binary people must be able to access services safely and equitably, without fear of discrimination or exclusion.
• The loss of rights conferred by Goodwin v United Kingdom represents a regressive step, and the council must act to uphold protections at the local level to the extent permitted by law.
• Schools must be safe spaces for all students, with policies ensuring trans and non- binary young people can access facilities, participate fully in education, and receive appropriate support.
• The Kite Trust plays a crucial role in supporting LGBTQ+ youth, and the council should work closely with them to strengthen local services.
• Healthcare services must be accessible and affirming, ensuring trans men and non-binary adults receive appropriate reproductive, sexual health, and general medical care.
• All people across Cambridgeshire, regardless of their protected characteristics, are valued and are supported by this Council.

Council resolves to:

• publicly reaffirm its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring that women and girls, trans men, trans women, and non-binary individuals are protected from gender-based violence and systemic discrimination.
• ensure that the strong specialist services for survivors of gender-based violence, are available to women, including trans women and that all women, including trans women receive appropriate care and safeguarding.
• ensure that all policy decisions are full inclusive for all people irrespective of their protected characteristics.
• instruct the Adults and Health Committee to work with healthcare providers to seek to ensure trans men and non-binary adults have access to appropriate medical care, including gender-affirming reproductive and sexual health services. - work with The Kite Trust and other LGBTQ+ organisations to seek to ensure young LGBTQ+ people have access to safe spaces and mental health support, and to put in place education policies for the protection of LGBTQ+ people.
• ensure that all County Council buildings and facilities are open to all without discrimination and that single-sex spaces, where required, remain available while protecting the dignity and rights of all individuals.
• work with suppliers to ensure that they have appropriate EDI policies and that single-sex spaces, where required, remain available while protecting the dignity and rights of all individuals.
• write to the health minister and the minister for women to advocate nationally for stronger protections for women, girls, trans men, trans women, and non-binary individuals, ensuring their rights to education, healthcare, and social support are safeguarded and for their assurance that they will oppose any further legislative or policy changes that seek to erode the rights of trans and non-binary individuals, particularly those affecting education, healthcare, and access to gender-affirming spaces.