A number of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats are quitting the party after a formal definition of transphobia was leaked online. A statement, later formally released during Trans Awareness Week, said it was revised due to "greater clarity to the interpretation of the law in this area."
Available on the Liberal Democrats website, the new definition rejects "prejudice and discrimination based upon race, ethnicity, caste, heritage, class, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation." However, the new statement added that "Holding and expressing gender critical views, whether in internal debates or publicly, is protected by law", upsetting many LGBT+ Lib Dems, according to PinkNews.
One Lib Dem town councillor based in north Wales told WalesOnline that she does not agree with the new statement and worries for transgender people. "First off I do not agree with the new definition, I think it opens trans peoples to a lot of discrimination. I have massive concerns for members in Wales and across the UK," she said.
"This situation is a symptom of the political situation for trans people in the UK. It enables discrimination within the party, and goes straight against our constitution. The clauses about the ECHR (European Convention Human Rights) are so ineffective I do not know where to start on that. The definition is not even coherent.
"Our party processes and guidance had to be put in line with the law as it is currently understood. I disagree with the law as do many but the party has not backtracked on its support of trans people. Unfortunately, transphobic people think they have won on this and misinformed people on what had taken place. This was an attack on trans people which many in the Lib Dems have stood up to and continue to protect trans members. I have to give a shout out to the amazing work of our LGBT group, who are currently working extremely hard to ensure we can show people the Lib Dems are the safest party for trans people."
Charley Hasted, vice chair of LGBT+ Lib Dems, told Pink News the group had advised the party to get further legal advice and to consider precedents set in two ECHR cases. Charley said: “We’ve lost numbers, and frankly, we have more members threatening to go over this. I think anything from the party that doesn’t include a commitment to get the [legal] advice that LGBT+ Lib Dems specifically said they should be getting is going to lead to more people leaving.
“That’s not who we want to be in the party in the main. We’ve got a few people who are a problem and they are creating a problem, and it didn’t need to happen. We know that at least one of those members tried to push for the definition to go even harder than it did.”
A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats said: “Following two legal cases that established new precedents, the party commissioned legal advice which was put to the federal board – the most senior elected governing body in the party.
“The Board voted in favour of the published definition of transphobia which was the strongest option available consistent with that legal advice. We will continue to support trans people within our party, through our policies about gender recognition which are clear, and through our independent complaints system which has zero tolerance for transphobic cases of bullying and harassment.”
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