Labour scraps self-ID promise in gender recognition U-turn
The Labour Party has backtracked on its commitment to self-identification for trans people in the UK. Anneliese Dodds, Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, shared Labour’s proposed policies to “modernise, simplify and reform gender recognition law,” effectively confirming the Party’s U-turn on its commitment to trans self-ID.
In a column for The Guardian, Dodds criticised the Conservative Party’s Deputy Chairman, Lee Anderson, who suggested that the upcoming Tory election campaign should be built around “culture wars and trans debate.” Dodds also wrote that Anderson sought the “opportunity to stoke division.” “Responsible politicians would understand that this isn’t a debate to exploit, it’s people’s lives,” she added. “Who they are and who, all too frequently, they suffer violence for being.” However, Dodds also criticised the Scottish National Party’s supposedly “cavalier approach” to reform last year. READ MORE: UK government blocks Scotland’s gender reform bill in unprecedented move “However, the law must also protect legitimate applications,” she claimed, confirming a shift in the Party’s proposed policy on allowing self-ID for trans people.
Dodds then dismissed the Party’s campaign as “more about picking a fight with Westminster than bringing meaningful change.” “We will not make the same mistakes,” she declared. “The requirement to obtain a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria remains an important part of accessing a gender recognition certificate.” She additionally alleged that “requiring a diagnosis upholds legitimacy of applications and confidence in the system.” The announcement comes just a year after Keir Starmer declared his support for the Gender Recognition Act changing to allow
