Lynne Featherstone: ...not religious marriage. Between now and the publication of the consultation, we will be meeting with a wide range of people with an interest in this issue, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and religious and non-religious organisations, to help shape the formal consultation document.
Lynne Featherstone: This Government are committed to advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGB&T) people, both in the UK and internationally. It is clear that too many LGB&T people still face discrimination and the Government are committed to addressing this. That is why, in March 2011, the Government published “Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality: Moving...
Lynne Featherstone: ...at the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel I have visited the following organisations: Action Aid Anawim Women's Community Project Lesbian and Gay Foundation Link (British transport lesbian gay and transgender support network) Manchester Action on Street Health National Stalking Helpline Solace Sparkle Stop Hate Survivors Manchester Women for Women Women's Business Forum Working Mums.
Lynne Featherstone: ...Equalities Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office websites and have been circulated to stakeholders. Our messages reiterated the Government's commitment to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality, both domestically and internationally, and set out the Government's programme of work in this field.
Lynne Featherstone: The Government have published “Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGB and T) Equality”. This ambitious work plan outlines actions Government will take to advance LGB and T equality. In particular, it commits Government to work with transgender groups to develop a programme of specific action for transgender equality and to publish this action plan in 2011. Between my...
Lynne Featherstone: ..., making it difficult to assess trends. That is why the coalition programme for government included a commitment to better recording of hate crime against disabled, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Police forces started formally collecting the relevant data in April, and from the summer of 2012 we will have the complete picture of statistics, which will show the pattern of...
Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 16 December 2010 In June 2010 we announced our commitment to publish the first ever Government action plan on transgender equality by the end of 2011. Work to develop the action plan is progressing. Our firm commitment is to work with transgender groups to develop the action plan. As part of this, to date the Government Equalities Office has held two informal workshops...
Lynne Featherstone: ...National Commission. We estimate each event will cost about £320.00, with the involvement of two members of staff for each event. On 6 December we are holding a summit to seek the views from the transgender community on the content of the first Government Strategy for Transgender Equality. We estimate the event will cost a maximum £1,000 and two members of staff will be involved.
Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office spent a total £3,768 on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month. These costs relate to the venue only.
Lynne Featherstone: ...an answer to the formal question. I mentioned my blog to illustrate the point that security issues in relation to travel are not the only consideration. There is also the personal situation of a transgendered person. The responses to that blog post indicated, as my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge (Dr Huppert) identified in Committee, that-
Lynne Featherstone: No, I will not give way at the moment. I will finish the point I am making. The responses to the blog indicated that transgender people felt that would make them stand out-it would out them.
Lynne Featherstone: ...we have been open and transparent in what we intended to do and what we are doing. It is clear from the messages-Opposition Members may think a website is not a formal place-from the community that transgendered people do not welcome the state emphasising their individual circumstances. That is why we will be engaging with the transgendered community and others to determine what they...
Lynne Featherstone: ...indicated in his letter of 19 July to the Chairs of the Committee considering the Bill, the ID card is just one form of identity and although the policy in respect of issuing two cards to a transgendered person may be considered as innovative, scrapping ID cards would not impact on their ability to access services or to travel in their chosen gender. It ill behoves the Opposition to make...
Lynne Featherstone: As I have already explained to the hon. Lady, we are taking formal Government routes, too. Indeed, we will proceed with more formal routes and properly consult a wide range of transgender groups. The new clause is impractical and fails to recognise its impact on transgendered people. It asks that ID cards that have been issued to transgendered people remain valid until expiry or until another...
Lynne Featherstone: As Members know from my comments on a similar amendment in Committee, I very much support initiatives that will advance the rights of transgendered people. In Committee I acknowledged the role of the hon. Member for Hackney South and Shoreditch (Meg Hillier) in providing a measure in the Identity Cards Act which enabled a transgender person to be issued with two identity cards, one in the...
Lynne Featherstone: In July, we published Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGB & T) Equality, which included a commitment to use our international influence to encourage other countries to advance LGB and T equality. We are committed to using meetings with our international counterparts and any other levers available to us to tear down the barriers that still exist for LGB and T people...
Lynne Featherstone: ...-represented groups, including an increase in the number of women MPs and those from an ethnic minority background to 22% and 4% respectively. Numbers of disabled MPs and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender MPs are unknown, but we believe there is under-representation of these groups in Parliament. There is still more to do. That is why the Government are considering the recommendations...
Lynne Featherstone: Last month we published "Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality", which included a commitment to use our international influence to encourage other countries to advance LGBT equality. I am committed to using meetings with international counterparts and any other levers open to us to tear down the barriers that still exist for LGBT people throughout Europe and around the world.
Lynne Featherstone: ...civil partnerships should be allowed to include religious readings, music and symbols. This commitment was made clear in the Government's published document 'Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality', published on 16 June 2010. We will begin this exercise before the summer parliamentary recess.
Lynne Featherstone: As I pointed out in my earlier remarks, I think that I have an honourable track record on transgender issues. I just wish that the previous Government had listened, during the Equality Act, on matters where there is detriment to well-being.
