Reflecting on LGBT+ History Month's 2025 theme, 'Activism and Social Change', our Head of Impact and Strategy shares his thoughts on the continued need for LGBTQIA+ inclusion efforts:
This year we’re celebrating the strides LGBTQIA+ communities have seen in their rights and equality thanks to the efforts of activists and allies.
When talking about the social change LGBTQIA+ communities have seen, a response I often hear is that with equal marriage in 2014 and the Equality Act in 2010, LGBTQIA+ people experience the same rights and access as everyone.
FAQs About Finding Happiness and LGBTQIA+ Inclusion
To begin with, people are asking:
"When is enough enough?"
"When will LGBTQIA+ people in the UK be happy?"
So, with the Activism and Social Change theme more relevant than ever, I wanted to reflect on these questions.
Whilst we do indeed have legal protection under the protected characteristics of ‘sexual orientation’, ‘gender reassignment’ and ‘marriage and civil partnership’ amongst others there is a huge discrepancy in how different parts of our communities experience this.
Beyond the Equality Act, challenges with changing your legal gender disproportionately impact transgender people across the UK.
The process to apply for a gender recognition certificate, a prerequisite to changing your legal gender, is long. If you’re married then you must have your partner’s permission to get a permanent certificate.
If your partner refuses, then you will receive an interim certificate which can only be used to end your marriage. Once received, you will have 6 months to apply to legally separate from your partner before the certificate expires. This offers a transgender person’s partner more protection than it does.
Gender Dysphoria
You also have to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Understanding of gender dysphoria varies hugely so receiving this diagnosis can also take a long time whilst you present and have your case assessed. Amongst other requirements, you also must have lived as your affirmed gender for at least 2 years.
Quickly we are seeing that whilst the Equality Act offers legal protection to transgender people under ‘gender reassignment’ the systems they must navigate to update their gender are full of roadblocks.
This creates a risk to the health and well-being of transgender people who may experience continued, severe, gender dysphoria whilst they follow the long legal process.
Just Like Us’ 2021 ‘Growing Up LGBT’ report shared 12 months prior 15% of transgender young people had never felt optimistic about the future. Difficult, often complicated processes like changing your legal gender feed this reality for many transgender youth who see an overwhelming journey ahead of them and see their mental health and outlook decline rapidly.
Additionally, the 2023 follow-up report showed that nearly 1 in 5 trans people have been bullied at work and nearly 4 in 5 have been bullied at school suggesting that whilst the legal framework to address discrimination is there the implementation of this is mixed across society.
Conclusion
Going back to the original question – when is enough enough?
I’d say when all citizens can navigate legal processes with the same ease and when an unsupportive partner cannot block something as personal as someone’s transition.
Until then, LGBTQIA+ inclusion efforts are more important than ever to raise awareness of these experiences and understand how we can proactively address them. I’ve just shared a few of the barriers and complexities forced on transgender people in the UK but there are many more.
Do you want to understand more about the experience of LGBTQIA+ communities in the UK and how you can join efforts to build more inclusive workplaces? Read about our LGBTQIA+ Inclusion training to find out more.
Sources:
UK Government guidance on applying for a gender recognition certificate.
Comentarios