Agenda item

Notice of Motion Given by Councillor Richard Shaw

That this Council:-

 

(a)       notes that 20th November was the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to remember transgender people who have lost their lives through hate-fuelled violence;

 

(b)       notes that transgender and intersex individuals experience similar levels and types of discrimination within society, including, but not limited to, hate crime, health discrimination, and difficulty obtaining documents in the correct gender;

 

(c)        notes that the transgender and intersex communities are too often marginalised, with little or no emphasis on their needs from government or third sector organisations;

 

(d)       notes transgender and intersex people are at a higher risk of mental health issues and suicidal ideation than the general population and the rest of the LGBT+ population, especially among BME transgender and intersex people;

 

(e)       notes current practices in data collection make it difficult for a transgender person to have their gender recorded accurately under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, and that, without a gender recognition certificate, their transgender status is not guaranteed to be treated as protected or sensitive data;

 

(f)        notes with regret the recent death of Vicky Thompson, a transgender woman who had been living as a woman for 4 years, who committed suicide after she was sent to a male prison as she did not possess a gender recognition certificate;

 

(g)       believes that variations in sex and gender, however they manifest, are a simple fact of human physiology and psychology, and neither the state nor society should pass judgement on people who deviate from what is considered the norm;

 

(h)       welcomes the Liberal Democrat campaign to introduce ‘X’ gender markers on UK passports;

 

(i)         calls on the Administration to introduce an ‘X’ gender option and 'Mx.' title option on all its forms for non-binary gendered individuals as a small move towards acceptance; and

 

(j)         calls on the Government to introduce a ‘X’ gender option for UK passports and requests that a copy of this motion be sent to the Home Secretary.

Minutes:

 

Gender Recognition

 

 

 

It was moved by Councillor Richard Shaw, seconded by Councillor David Baker, that this Council:-

 

 

 

(a)       notes that 20th November was the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to remember transgender people who have lost their lives through hate-fuelled violence;

 

(b)       notes that transgender and intersex individuals experience similar levels and types of discrimination within society, including, but not limited to, hate crime, health discrimination, and difficulty obtaining documents in the correct gender;

 

(c)        notes that the transgender and intersex communities are too often marginalised, with little or no emphasis on their needs from government or third sector organisations;

 

(d)       notes transgender and intersex people are at a higher risk of mental health issues and suicidal ideation than the general population and the rest of the LGBT+ population, especially among BME transgender and intersex people;

 

(e)       notes current practices in data collection make it difficult for a transgender person to have their gender recorded accurately under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, and that, without a gender recognition certificate, their transgender status is not guaranteed to be treated as protected or sensitive data;

 

(f)        notes with regret the recent death of Vicky Thompson, a transgender woman who had been living as a woman for 4 years, who committed suicide after she was sent to a male prison as she did not possess a gender recognition certificate,and the even more recent death within a male prison of another transgender woman, Joanne Latham;

 

(g)       believes that variations in sex and gender, however they manifest, are a simple fact of human physiology and psychology, and neither the state nor society should pass judgement on people who deviate from what is considered the norm;

 

(h)       welcomes the Liberal Democrat campaign to introduce ‘X’ gender markers on UK passports;

 

(i)         calls on the Administration to introduce an ‘X’ gender option and 'Mx.' title option on all its forms for non-binary gendered individuals as a small move towards acceptance; and

 

(j)         calls on the Government to introduce a ‘X’ gender option for UK passports and requests that a copy of this motion be sent to the Home Secretary.

 

 

 

(Note: With the agreement of the Council and at the request of  Councillor Richard Shaw (the mover of the motion), Paragraph (f) of the Motion as included on the Council Summons, was altered by the addition of the following words, after the words “gender recognition certificate”:

 

 

 

“and the even more recent death within a male prison of another transgender woman, Joanne Latham;” )

 

 

 

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Nikki Bond, seconded by Councillor Jackie Drayton, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

 

1.          the addition of the following words at the end of paragraph (a) “and further notes the remembrance event held at the Winter Gardens, organised with the Council and supported by E.D.E.N Films and LGBT Sheffield”;

 

2.          the addition of the following words at the end of paragraph (c) “but notes the Equality Hubs set up by the current Administration which work to ensure LGBT communities are well represented within Sheffield”;

 

3.          the replacement in paragraph (d) of the words “LGBT+ population” by the words “LGBT and intersex population”;

 

4.          the addition of the following words at the end of paragraph (f) “and also draws attention to other instances of people in prisons not compatible with their recognised gender”; and

 

5.          the deletion of paragraphs (h) to (j) and the addition of new paragraphs (h) and (i) as follows:-

 

 

 

(h)        calls on the Government to consult with the gender neutral community on Gender ‘X’ passports; and

 

(i)          asks officers to consult with minority communities to ask how they wish to be addressed on Council forms.

 

 

 

On being put to the vote, the amendment was carried.

 

 

 

(Note: Councillors Pauline Andrews, Keith Davis and John Booker voted for Paragraph 5 and against Paragraphs 1 to 4 and asked for this to be recorded.)

 

 

 

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

 

 

 

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

 

 

 

(a)       notes that 20th November was the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to remember transgender people who have lost their lives through hate-fuelled violence and further notes the remembrance event held at the Winter Gardens, organised with the Council and supported by E.D.E.N Films and LGBT Sheffield;

 

(b)       notes that transgender and intersex individuals experience similar levels and types of discrimination within society, including, but not limited to, hate crime, health discrimination, and difficulty obtaining documents in the correct gender;

 

(c)        notes that the transgender and intersex communities are too often marginalised, with little or no emphasis on their needs from government or third sector organisations, but notes the Equality Hubs set up by the current Administration which work to ensure LGBT communities are well represented within Sheffield;

 

(d)       notes transgender and intersex people are at a higher risk of mental health issues and suicidal ideation than the general population and the rest of the LGBT and intersex population, especially among BME transgender and intersex people;

 

(e)       notes current practices in data collection make it difficult for a transgender person to have their gender recorded accurately under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, and that, without a gender recognition certificate, their transgender status is not guaranteed to be treated as protected or sensitive data;

 

(f)        notes with regret the recent death of Vicky Thompson, a transgender woman who had been living as a woman for 4 years, who committed suicide after she was sent to a male prison as she did not possess a gender recognition certificate, and the even more recent death within a male prison of another transgender woman, Joanne Latham, and also draws attention to other instances of people in prisons not compatible with their recognised gender;

 

(g)       believes that variations in sex and gender, however they manifest, are a simple fact of human physiology and psychology, and neither the state nor society should pass judgement on people who deviate from what is considered the norm;

 

(h)       calls on the Government to consult with the gender neutral community on Gender ‘X’ passports; and

 

(i)         asks officers to consult with minority communities to ask how they wish to be addressed on Council forms.