Society, the NHS and the Government must do more to tackle discrimination towards transgender people, Eastleigh MP Mims Davies has urged, following the publication of a hard hitting report from a parliamentary committee she sat on.
The Women and Equalities Committee has made more than 30 recommendations in the report and it urged the Government to ensure full equality as soon as possible.
The committee heard evidence from transgender people who told it that transphobia is a major part of their lives and Mims heard it impacted on careers, incomes, living standards, access to medical care and services and physical and mental health.
“Britain has led the way in championing gay, lesbian and bisexual rights so it is now absolutely imperative more effort is put into eradicating discrimination for transgender people because the very disturbing evidence we all heard shows that they are treated very differently,” said Mims.
“More has to be done to educate services, schools and colleges, the NHS and the criminal justice system to help transgender people and treat them with compassion as there is the real issue of a disproportionate level of suicides within this grouping.
“Achieving more equality for transgender people will be a challenge, but we met very similar challenges tackling homophobia and I think that battle is shifting in the right direction, so it’s now time to turn our attention to this problem and face it head on.
“The report has clear recommendations that firstly asks the Government to implement a strategy for transgender equality in the next six months. My hope is that this will act as a blueprint for other parts of society to start to make progress.
“Root and branch reform has been highlighted in areas of health care and criminal justice, and the fact that the 2004 Gender Recognition Act needs reform.
“The indications are the government is taking this issue seriously and it has, as the report notes, made good progress within the criminal justice system to address hate crime issues.”
Mims added: “If Britain is to remain a global beacon of tolerance then these recommendations have to be quickly implemented.”
The committee received over 250 evidence submissions, many of them from individual transgender people. It held evidence sessions with six government ministers, as well as transgender organisations and campaigners, health and other public sector professionals, and academics before publishing the report.