About Us

2007-2008 Completed Work

Over the course of financial year 2007-2008, the Scottish Transgender Alliance (STA) Development Pilot Project completed a wide range of work:

Trans Inclusion within the Gender Equality Duty

One of the central objectives of the STA Development Pilot Project was to promote understanding within the Scottish public sector that the Gender Equality Duty is inclusive of trans identity, and to promote good practice in relation to this.

This involved developing detailed policy guidance for particular services and sectors. For example, we have worked in depth throughout 2007/2008 with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and Stonewall Scotland to ensure full transgender inclusion within the SPS Gender Equality Scheme and following on from this the Scottish Transgender Alliance has been leading development of the new draft SPS policy on transgender prisoner custody issues.

There has also been extensive detailed partnership work between the Scottish Transgender Alliance, Fair For All – LGBT and Scottish National Health Services (NHS Boards and NHS National Services Divisions) on transgender rights policy and practice and Gender Equality Duty requirements.

The Scottish Transgender Alliance has also been a key advisor in the creation of new ACPOS guidance for Scottish Police Forces on transgender custody & searching good practice.

Policy advice and good practice guidance has also been provided by the STA to a wide range of other public services to begin transgender good practice implementation across wider areas than just the minimum legal obligations. For example, considering transgender service provision issues as well as employment issues with Glasgow City Council and East Lothian Council; Fire Station changing and shower area designs with Fife Fire Service; and sexual assault counselling service provision with Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women's Aid.

There has also been a significant amount of direct training to equip public sector organisations with the knowledge needed to start to equality impact assess their policies and practices in regard to transgender issues. In particular, the Scottish Transgender Alliance delivered transgender training to:

28 equality managers from a range of public services via the EOC Employers’ Network event in April 2007;
50 employers through partnership working with Stonewall Scotland’s Diversity Champions Seminar Programme in May 2007;
All Scottish Police LGBT Liaison Officers as part of their Awareness Training Day organised by ACPOS in June 2007;
35 Voluntary and Statutory Health Service Providers as part of the 2^nd Annual UK LGBT Health Summit in August 2007;
14 Greater Glasgow & Clyde NHS employees working with transgender service users in partnership with Fair For All – LGBT and Greater Glasgow & Clyde NHS Board in October 2007;
25 UNISON LGBT Self Organised Group Activists and also 8 UNISON Branch and Regional Officers currently working on trans employment cases in Scotland in November 2007;
Over 40 Health and Social Service providers in Fife as part of Fife Men’s LGBT Mental Health Seminar in November 2007;
To a large mixed level audience from across Scottish Police Forces as part of the ACPOS LGBT Conference in December 2007;
42 Further & Higher Education providers as part of the University & College Union’s UK Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Equality in Post-School Education Conference in February 2008;
20 Scottish Government Human Resources Managers over two training events run for the Scottish Government by the Scottish Transgender Alliance in February & March 2008;
40 Primary & Secondary School Teachers through partnership working with Educational Institute of Scotland & LGBT Youth Scotland in March 2008.

A particular training highlight was the multi-delivery-method training provided by the Scottish Transgender Alliance to the Fire Service. A large mixed level conference audience from across the UK Fire Service Regions was provided with training about transgender identities and transgender employment equality issues. This was delivered by the Scottish Transgender Alliance via an interactive policy guidance workshop and a 30-minute key note presentation at the first ever UK Fire Service LGBT Equality Conference. In addition, a 950 word introductory hearts and minds article on transgender equality written by the STA was published in the mainstream UK Fire Magazine.

Awareness has also been promoted through resource development. In partnership with the LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing and NHS Health Scotland, the Scottish Transgender Alliance wrote, printed and distributed nationally 5000 copies of a 56 page Scottish Gender Identity Introductory Booklet to Local Councils, Central Libraries, NHS services, LGBT organisations, Disability Organisations, Youth Organisations and Higher Education providers.

The STA carried out filming of a wide range of transgender people (from across all sections of the transgender communities) and also of parents of transgender people for a new DVD short film funded through legacy funding from the EOC. The DVD short film explores gender diversity and the employment, community and family experiences of transgender people for use during transgender awareness training events. It is now in the process of final editing.

The Scottish Transgender Alliance website structure was developed and launched at the STA Seminar on 11^th March 2008. The website provides information and guidance to service providers and employers on transgender equality issues and good practice. It also provides information to support transgender people in Scotland to understand and access their human rights.

The Scottish Transgender Alliance Annual Seminar on 11^th March 2008 provided transgender equality training to 64 managers from a wide variety of public and voluntary sector organisations. It provided an opportunity for the concerns of transgender people in Scotland to be heard and also launched the STA Research report ‘Transgender Experiences in Scotland’. The STA seminar provided up to date information on current transgender legal rights and guidance on good practice in regard to transgender inclusion in the Gender Equality Duty. The Seminar included keynote presentations by Muriel Robison from the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Hilary Third from the Scottish Government Equality Unit. Good practice examples were also presented of partnership work between the STA and the Scottish Prison Service, UNISON, HM Fire Service Inspectorate, NHS Scotland, Stonewall Scotland and the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland.

Discrimination Law Review Green Paper

To ensure that there was a strong Scottish transgender input into the Discrimination Law Review, the Scottish Transgender Alliance carried out consultations with Scottish transgender groups and individuals (in person, by post and online) and wrote a 35 page STA response to the Green Paper based upon the views provided to the STA by transgender people in Scotland. The STA also worked in partnership with National LGBT Organisations in Scotland, the Equal Opportunities Commission and UNISON on their responses to the Discrimination Law Review regarding transgender discrimination issues.

‘Hearts and Minds’ & Positive Transgender Media Reporting

Throughout 2007, the Scottish Transgender Alliance represented transgender issues on the Scottish Government’s Hearts and Minds Agenda Core Group and also on two sub-groups (Workplace & Public Services and also Citizenship & Social Capital). The STA also wrote the various transgender-related terminology definitions for the Hearts & Minds Agenda Group report ‘Challenging Prejudice’.

Through the LGBT Youth Scotland media officer, the Scottish Transgender Alliance arranged the publication of a 1300 word media article representation of transgender issues in the ‘Scotland on Sunday’ Spectrum supplement during August 2007 to positively influence the hearts and minds of Scottish general public.

The STA also worked in partnership with BBC Radio Scotland to record and broadcast a positive 30minute lunchtime radio programme on the transgender experiences of two trans people as part of the award winning ‘Give Me A Voice’ series in December 2007. (Silver Community Production Award - Sony Radio Academy Awards 2008)

Research on Transgender Experiences in Scotland

The Scottish Transgender Alliance carried out a detailed survey of the demographics and gender identities of transgender people living in Scotland, their experiences of discrimination and harassment within their local communities and their experiences of using key services in Scotland. More information on this research report is available on our research page.