Edinburgh city councillors have voted to fast-track the council's membership of a workplace diversity scheme aimed at supporting LGBT+ staff.
The council will join Stonewall's Diversity Champion scheme more than a year earlier than was planned after employees were "very critical" of the existing policies in place to support LGBT+ inclusion.
Councillors said it was important to sign up as soon as possible as the council was "slipping backwards" on trans rights - with one even appearing to criticise J.K. Rowling's "golden hand prints" outside the City Chambers.
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The programme run by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights charity, which more than 900 employers across the UK are signed up to, gives organisations access to training, expertise and a range of resources designed to improve the experiences of LGBT+ staff.
Currently the council is a member of a separate scheme, the Employer’s Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI) as part of a "four year strategy".
Officials suggested seeing this through and then joining Stonewall "post 2024".
However a cross-party motion tabled at the policy and sustainability committee on Tuesday (March 21) by SNP, Green and Lib Dems, and supported by the Labour administration, agreed that instead the authority will sign up "immediately" once funding is allocated for the £2,500 a year membership fees at May's full council meeting.
Green councillor Alex Staniforth, who first tabled the motion calling on the council to join the Diversity Champion scheme over a year ago, said: "I think we should remember that when we had a meeting with the then representatives of Stride, our staff's LGBT+ organisation, they were very critical of the council's current approach to supporting them in the workplace.
"I do worry that we are in this council slipping backwards particularly when it comes to trans rights.
"We should not forget that outside our building we have the golden hand prints of a billionaire who is friends with at least one former prime minister, who believes trans people are too powerful."
He added: "We need the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme. Homophobic attacks have increased in this city and alas across the country."
Former SNP council leader Adam McVey said the debate around LGBT+ rights "has never been more toxic".
He said: "We should never underestimate the need to stand steadfast."
Conservative group leader Iain Whyte proposed going with the officers' recommendation to wait until after 2024.
He said: "I don't really see what more you can do if you're doing the right things, which we're told we are."
He added: "I don't think we should be criticising the hard work our officers have done."
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