A Right to Gender Recognition

Conference notes with concern:

A. That in the current public and media debate, many inaccurate and harmful tropes are circulated, presenting trans people, especially transgender women, as a threat.

B. The UK Tory Government’s delay to proposals banning conversion therapy and Gender Recognition Act reforms despite widespread support.

C. The recent decisions of the UK Tory Government to block legislation on Gender Recognition Reform passed by the Scottish Parliament, despite cross party support and substantial consultation.

D. That access to the Gender Identity Clinic in Wales remains poor with a single service based on Cardiff and waiting times of 20 months on average.

Conference further notes:

a. That powers relating to gender recognition are not currently devolved to Wales.

b. That a Gender Recognition Certificate is not necessary to have the correct gender marker on government ID or access single-sex spaces, but instead allows individuals to have their correct gender on their marriage or civil partnership certificates, death certificates and pensions.

c. The process to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate is needlessly intrusive, complicated and arbitrary, and requires the use of single-sex spaces.

d. Similar reforms to those proposed in Scotland have already been adopted in other countries, with no reports of significant issues following the change.

e. That the Liberal Democrats were the first political party to support trans people changing their legal gender back in 1998.

f. That the Welsh Liberal Democrats have led the way in standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, including early calls for a Welsh Gender Identity Clinic, and introducing a progressive RSE curriculum and gender neutral school uniforms.

Conference believes:

i. People are free to define their gender as they choose, and that choice should be respected.

ii. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are non-binary.

iii. That neither transphobic tropes nor direct transphobia have any legitimate place in the public debate, and that all Welsh political parties should condemn those who make transphobic statements or who provide support to transphobic organisations.

iv. That the Conservatives encouragement of transphobic tropes as part of a ‘culture war’ is reprehensible and undermines democratic politics.

v. That these attacks on trans people and trans rights, creating an unsafe culture for trans and non-binary people.

vi. That trans or gender-questioning people should have timely access to services at a gender clinic, and that efforts should be made to improve geographic access to gender services.

Conference calls for:

1. The UK Tory Government to cease its section 35 action against the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill.

2. The Welsh Government to formally request powers over gender-recognition and use them to simplify the process to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate.

3. All political parties in Wales to introduce, update, and enforce policies to sanction elected representatives who make transphobic statements or (re)produce transphobic tropes.

4. The Welsh Government to review access to gender clinics to ensure a maximum 12 month waiting period and to investigate establishing a satellite clinic in Mid and North Wales, with particular attention paid to paediatric services.