UK: Liz Truss reveals ‘shocking’ plan to remove healthcare for trans youth, slammed as an ‘extraordinary’ attack on equality

Conservative equalities minister Liz Truss set out her plan for reforms to the Gender Recognition Act yesterday, alarming LGBT+ rights organisations and the parents of vulnerable trans children.

Truss, who dislikes “identity politics” and wants to rename the government equalities office the “ministry of freedom“, made the comments in a virtual session of the women and equalities select committee on April 22. The committee is chaired by Caroline Nokes – a Tory MP who voted against equal marriage in 2013.

Reforming gender recognition laws could make it simpler, easier and cheaper for transgender people to update the legal gender on their birth certificate. Truss said that the government response led by her would be following “three very important principles”.

“First of all, the protection of single-sex spaces, which is extremely important,” Truss said. “Secondly making sure that transgender adults are free to live their lives as they wish without fear of persecution, while maintaining the proper checks and balances in the system. Finally, which is not a direct issue concerning the Gender Recognition Act, but is relevant, making sure that the under 18s are protected from decisions that they could make, that are irreversible in the future.

“I believe strongly that adults should have the freedom to lead their lives as they see fit, but I think it’s very important that while people are still developing their decision-making capabilities that we protect them from making those irreversible decisions.”

Worryingly, only one of the three principles set out by Truss actually relates to GRA reform.The other two – the protection of single-sex spaces for women and access to healthcare for transgender youth – are talking points often repeated by those opposed to trans rights in any form.

LGBT+ rights organisations and parents of transgender children have spoken out about their alarm at Truss’ conflation of healthcare for trans kids with reform to the law by which trans adults can update the legal gender on their birth certificate. Read more via Pink News