Labour for Trans Rights
Open letter to Keir Starmer
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Dear Keir,
We previously wrote to you on the 1st of November asking to meet with you about your interview with Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts last month. We wanted to discuss with you a number of concerns raised by the interview about Labour’s commitment to supporting transgender-inclusive policies.
We are disappointed not to have received a response from you, but our invitation is still on the table. LGBTQ+ members and voters have a number of serious concerns around the Party’s approach to trans issues, and as we mentioned in our original letter, your Mumsnet interview has unfortunately put Labour’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community under further strain. We’d like nothing more than for you to have an opportunity to clarify some of the concerns raised, and assuage the concerns of trans and LGBTQ+ people.
In the interview on the 28th of October you appeared to endorse changes to the Equality Act of 2010 which would exclude trans people from accessing services they’re currently entitled to use.
You also unwittingly used harmful rhetoric in regards to trans people being a threat in sport, as well as “wholeheartedly” supporting the disregard of Gillick Competency - a longstanding medical principle that protects children from abuse from parents.
Transphobia, like any kind of prejudice, should not be welcome in the Labour Party. We urge you to listen to the trans community in this moment, and to mend the Party’s relationship with them before it’s irreversibly fractured. This Conservative Government represents the greatest threat to us since the days of Section 28 - we need to be able to trust that Labour would be an ally in the project to build a progressive Britain.
We need a Labour Party that rejects bigotry, and holds members accountable for transphobic behaviour. We need a Labour Party that embraces acceptance and tolerance. There can be no delay when our lives are on the line, and the people we love are under attack.
Yours sincerely,
Labour for Trans Rights
Co-signed:
- UNISON LGBT+
- Young Labour
- Labour Students
- TransLuent.Org.UK
- LGBT+ Socialists
- United We Stand - Solidarity Network
- Reclaim Pride Liverpool
- Michelle Snow, What The Trans
- Ashleigh Talbot, What The Trans
- Ben Swithen, What The Trans
- Alex, What The Trans
About Us
Hey! We're a group of trans and queer Labour members from across Britain. Our motley crew came together from despairing chats about the transphobia rampant in British politics, in a spirit of don't mourn, organise! The election of our campaign member Alex as Labour's first ever trans officer in the new, National Students section gave us the impetus to finally get organised. We want to build on the great work done in the past by groups like the Labour Campaign for Trans Rights, and work across the Party to make Labour a welcoming and empowering space for all trans people.
Our Demands
- A comprehensive definition of transphobia to cover the whole party, based upon the definition provided by TransActual which is already in use for training CLPs across the country.
- A promise that under the next Labour Government, the NHS will overhaul the broken system of Gender Identity Clinics to provide care across the country with a patient-first approach alongside a new legally recognised non-binary characteristic.
- Uphold the promise to ban all forms of conversion therapy, including a ban on these practices being carried out against transgender youth and ensure Gillick competency.
- A commitment to uphold one of Labour’s proudest accomplishments, the Equalities Act 2010, as trans-inclusive legislation that provides trans people the legal protection to use services and facilities matching their gender - the way it’s been for over a decade.
- Introduce a dedicated Minister for Trans Rights to begin planning out how Labour can overhaul trans protections and healthcare after the next election, and ensure equality for LGBTQ+ communities is central to our Party’s agenda.