About Us
Completed Work
Over the course of 2007, the Scottish Transgender Alliance (STA) has carried out a wide range of work:
Trans Inclusion within the Gender Equality Duty
One
of the central objectives of the STA development project is 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 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
central in developing the new draft SPS policy on transgender prisoner
custody issues. There has also been extensive detailed partnership work
with Fair For All – LGBT and National Health Services (NHS Boards and
NHS National Services Divisions) on transgender rights policy and
practice and Gender Equality Duty requirements.
As
well as policy advice 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. For example, we 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;
- 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;
- UNISON
LGBT Self Organised Group Activists and also UNISON Branch and Regional
Officers currently working on trans employment cases in Scotland in
November 2007;
- Various health and social service providers in Fife as part of Fife Men’s LGBT Mental Health Seminar in November 2007;
- To a mixed level audience from across Scottish Police Forces as part of the ACPOS LGBT Conference in December 2007.
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
was provided with information about transgender identities and
transgender employment equality issues. The training was delivered by
the STA Development Worker 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 article
on transgender equality written by the STA Development Worker was
published in the 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.
Discrimination Law Review Green Paper
To
ensure that there was a strong Scottish transgender input into the
Discrimination Law Review, the Scottish Transgender Alliance
Development Worker 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
Throughout
2007, the STA Development Worker represented transgender issues on the
Scottish Government’s Hearts and Minds Agenda Core Group and also on
two sub-groups. He also worked in partnership with LGBT Youth Scotland
to get a 1300 word media article representation of transgender issues
published in the ‘Scotland on Sunday’ Spectrum supplement during August
2007 to positively influence the hearts and minds of Scottish general
public. The STA Development Worker and one of the STA volunteers also
worked in partnership with BBC Radio Scotland to record and broadcast a
30minute lunchtime radio programme on their transgender experiences in
Scotland as part of the ‘Give Me A Voice’ series in December 2007.
Research on Transgender Experiences in Scotland
During
the latter half of 2007, 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 about
this research report is available on our research page.