If you care about LGBTQI rights, you should care about reforming the Gender Recognition Act. Until midday on Monday, you have the chance to help do exactly that, by calling on the government to make vital changes to the GRA via the official consultation.
When it was passed in 2004, the GRA was one of the most progressive pieces of LGBTQI equality legislation worldwide. In 2018, that law is no longer working. As it stands, trans people have to go through a lengthy, expensive, medicalised process to “prove” they are trans enough to be granted a Gender Recognition Certificate. Reforms to the GRA would simplify this process, allowing trans people the right to self determine, as they already can in countries across the world.
Videos by VICE
If you want to read up more on the topic before submitting your thoughts, check out our Recognise Me series, guest edited by Shon Faye. We debunked the transphobic myths being spread by panicked anti-trans campaigners; spoke to politicians, trans people and campaigners about why GRA reform matters; heard from people who transitioned young that support is vital; and mapped out the history of the Gender Recognition Act, to demonstrate its failings.
The consultation closes at 12PM on Monday the 22nd of October, meaning you don’t have long left to submit your thoughts. Luckily, the whole thing only takes ten minutes to fill out, so please do join VICE and Stonewall in calling on the government to improve trans equality here.
UPDATE 19/10/18: This post was updated to reflect the fact the government has extended the consultation deadline to midday on Monday.
