Political parties in the UK fail to provide adequate safeguards in their manifestos for the LGBTQIA+ community
UK General Election 2024: A Look at Party Manifestos and LGBTQIA+ Rights
Next week, the UK will head to the polls for the 2024 general election, and the issue of LGBTQIA+ rights has taken centre stage in many party manifestos. Here's a breakdown of the key commitments from the major parties.
Conservative Party
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party have pledged to implement the recommendations of the Cass Review, which focuses on a cautious approach to child and adolescent gender care, including transgender health services. The party's stance on transgender healthcare issues has been signalled as conservative, with a need for caution emphasised.
Labour Party
Labour has committed to fully implementing the Cass Review recommendations, but internal group LGBT+ Labour has expressed caution about the review, highlighting criticisms from some trans advocacy groups. A Labour government, if elected, plans to modernise, simplify, and reform the gender recognition law, although specific details are yet to be announced.
Green Party
The Green Party supports self-ID for legal transition, ending the spousal veto, and adding an "X" gender marker for non-binary and intersex people. However, the party faced internal conflict over the Cass Review, withdrawing their statement after opposition from their LGBTQIA+ members, indicating some division on transgender issues within the party.
SNP
The SNP has struggled with self-ID and reforming the gender recognition act in the Scottish Parliament. With independence, they note they would have the power to improve equality in law and society for the LGBTI community.
Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems)
The Lib Dems offer asylum to people fleeing the risk of violence because of their sexual orientation or gender identification. They also pledge to ban all forms of conversion therapies and practices. In addition, the Lib Dems plan to end the "culture of disbelief for LGBT+ asylum seekers" and offer diplomatic support for promoting the decriminalization of homosexuality and advancing LGBT+ rights worldwide.
Reform UK
Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has rejected a manifesto and pledged to ban "transgender ideology" in Primary and Secondary Schools. This move mirrors the Republican Party's attacks on "gender ideology" and "critical race theory" in the United States.
Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace scored the manifestos of the three biggest parties and the Greens out of forty on four key areas, but no explicit quantitative or qualitative "manifesto scores" that evaluate or compare parties on LGBTQIA+ rights were found.
It is crucial to remember that while these commitments are notable points in the party manifestos, specific manifesto scoring data is not available. A Labour government should promise change and real action for the LGBTQIA+ community, but whether it will deliver significant improvements remains to be seen. Trans and non-binary people are being used as pawns in a culture war, to fight over floating voters, and it is essential to scrutinise the parties' promises closely to ensure the rights of this community are protected and advanced.
All major parties have released their manifestos, available online for public scrutiny. Make sure to read them carefully before casting your vote next week.
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