{"id":3173,"date":"2020-06-29T10:06:01","date_gmt":"2020-06-29T09:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/?p=3173"},"modified":"2020-06-29T10:06:32","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T09:06:32","slug":"lgbt-staff-network-trans-support-statement-jume-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/2020\/06\/29\/lgbt-staff-network-trans-support-statement-jume-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"LGBT+ Staff Network Trans Support Statement, June 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We stand FIRMLY with our\u00a0<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">trans<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0colleagues and students!<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Following consultation, it has been reported that the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinknews.co.uk\/2020\/06\/14\/trans-self-id-uk-boris-johnson-liz-truss-gender-recognition-act-leak-sunday-times\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">UK government is planning to scrap proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0which<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0would have removed the current costly, lengthy and humiliating process required to\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">change<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0one\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">legal gender<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. If such reports are true, we condemn this decision, which is a step backwards for\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">trans<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0rights in the UK.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Assertions made by a vocal minority that\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">trans<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0women are a sexual threat to cis women in single<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">sex spaces and that trans men are victims of an overbearing patriarchy<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">are offensive in their\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">assumptions and biases<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and do not listen to or take account of trans voices<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The idea that single-sex spaces are under threat is a straw man argument, especially as most single-sex spaces already operate on a de facto self-ID basis and rarely require legal evidence of one\u2019s gender. Further, the changes the government had proposed to the GRA would have no impact on the continuing existence of single-sex spaces as\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">these are covered by the Equality Act 2010<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The University of Kent<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and its\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">LGBT+ Staff Network<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0stand\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">with our trans\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and non-binary\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">colleagues in calling for trans equality, with better support and recognition for trans\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and non-binary\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">people and the struggles they face. We know that we, as an institution, still have work to do, but we are unequivocal in our aim to make the University of Kent\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">a safe and welcoming place for staff and students of all genders and identities.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Our message to the world is that\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">trans<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0people are welcome here, without fear of discrimination.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trans<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0people are our colleagues, our students, our friends, and we stand with them every step of the way on the march towards true equality.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you would like to learn how to be an ally, or wish to\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">find out<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0more about the rights of\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">trans<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and non-binary people, visit <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mermaidsuk.org.uk\/news\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">https:\/\/mermaidsuk.org.uk\/news\/<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stonewall.org.uk\/truth-about-trans\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">https:\/\/www.stonewall.org.uk\/truth-about-trans<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We stand FIRMLY with our\u00a0trans\u00a0colleagues and students!\u00a0 Following consultation, it has been reported that the\u00a0UK government is planning to scrap proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004\u00a0which\u00a0would have removed the current costly, lengthy and humiliating process required to\u00a0change\u00a0one\u2019s\u00a0legal gender. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/2020\/06\/29\/lgbt-staff-network-trans-support-statement-jume-2020\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[86146,475],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3173"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3173"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3175,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3173\/revisions\/3175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}