TRANSGENDER RIGHTS

That this House agrees that the recommendations of the Women and Equalities Committee report on transgender equality needs to be implemented in full; believes that gender identity includes those who do not identify as either male or female, identify as both, a third gender or are fluid in their identity; notes that long waiting times for gender identity treatment can do harm to patients who should not have to wait longer than the targets for specialist referral; recognises that verbal, physical and sexual assaults towards those with a non-cis gender identity is the highest of all minority hate-crime, with over half of transgender women reporting they have been sexually or physically assaulted; calls on the Government to update the protected characteristic in the Equalities Act 2010 from gender reassignment to gender identity with a statutory code that includes non-binary identities; recommends that specialist GPs should be trained so that they can provide bridging hormones while patients wait to see specialist centres; and further recommends bringing LGBT hate crimes into line with hate crimes based on race and faith by making them aggravated offences.