House of Commons Equality Bill Committee Stage (2/6/09 up to 7/7/09)

Any group or individual can submit written evidence to the Public Bill Committee for the Equality Bill. A number of transgender organisations and individuals have done so, including the Equality Network's Scottish Transgender Alliance. Our submission can be found as a PDF in the Downloads box on the left of this page. All the submissions received to date by the Public Bill Committee for the Equality Bill can be view online at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmpublic/cmpbequality.htm#memo

Lynne Featherstone MP (Lib Dem), Dr Evan Harris MP (Lib Dem) and Tim Boswell MP (Cons) have all been very supportive of improving transgender equality throughout the debates of the Public Bill Committee examining the Equality Bill.

Professor Stephen Whittle of Press For Change (PFC) was invited by the Public Bill Committee to give expert oral evidence on Tuesday 2nd June and a transcript of his evidence can be read online at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmpublic/equality/090602/pm/90602s01.htm

Also on Tuesday 2nd June, representatives from various other UK national and regional transgender equality organisations (PFC, GIRES, Scottish Transgender Alliance, Gender Spectrum UK, TransLondon, NUS Trans Caucus, Trans Youth Network, Gender Matters, The Gender Trust and a:gender) attended a Transgender Stakeholders Equality Bill Roundtable Discussion in London with the Equality and Human Rights Commission. A high level of consensus was agreed across the various groups about the key improvements desired to the Equality Bill. Over the following week, email discussions occurred between these various transgender equality groups to contribute to PFC's drafting of various amendments for consideration by trans-friendly MPs.

The various trans-friendly probing amendments which ended up being tabled by Lynne Featherstone MP (Lib Dem), Dr Evan Harris MP (Lib Dem) and Tim Boswell MP (Cons) were not all phrased exactly as PFC proposed. However, the important aspect at this stage was not the exact phrasing but simply that probing amendments were tabled so that the key areas of concern raised by transgender equality organisations could be debated within the Public Bill Committee and be flagged up to the Government as key areas of concern. The Scottish Transgender Alliance warmly thanks all three of these trans-friendly MPs, Lynne Featherstone (Lib Dem), Dr Evan Harris (Lib Dem) and Tim Boswell (Cons) for all their ongoing efforts to help improve trasgender equality. As was to be expected at this stage, the Government has not yet been prepared to accept any of the amendments tabled in regard to transgender equality concerns.

The first key amendment debate relevant to transgender equality was about whether the protected characteristic should be widened from 'Gender Reassignment' to 'Gender Identity'. This debate took place on 11 June 2009 in the Committee's 6th Sitting and can be read online at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmpublic/equality/090611/pm/90611s03.htm (Scroll down to the heading 'Clause 4')

The next key amendment debate was about whether the start point of coverage of the 'Gender Reassignment' protected characteristic should be widened from 'proposing to undergo gender reassignment' to 'considering undergoing gender reassignment'. This debate took place on 16 June 2009 in the Committee's 7th Sitting and can be read online at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmpublic/equality/090616/am/90616s03.htm (Scroll down to the heading 'Clause 7')

The issue of protection for young people against homophobic and transphobic harassment in school education was debated on 18 June 2009 in the Committee's 9th Sitting and can be read online at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmpublic/equality/090618/am/90618s03.htm (See the heading 'Clause 24' right at the top of the page)

Lynne Featherstone MP and Dr Evan Harris MP tabled a probing amendment to narrow the Gender Reassignment occupational requirement exception but for some reason it was not debated on 23 June 2009 when the relevant Schedule 9 section of the Equality Bill was being considered. We expect that the problem was most likely that amendment was tabled just slightly too late to be allowed. However, a brief reference was made to the area of concern about people with Gender Recognition Certificates during the Committee's 12th Sitting: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmpublic/equality/090623/pm/90623s07.htm (See a single paragraph located two paragraphs above the heading 'Column number: 453')

The issue of narrowing the Gender Reassignment single sex service provision exception to ensure that people who have received a gender recognition certificate would always be treated equally to others of their acquired gender was debated on 2 July 2009 in the Committee's 18th Sitting and can be read online at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmpublic/equality/090702/pm/90702s05.htm (At the very top of the page)

The Committee Stage was completed on 7 July 2009. None of the proposed gender identity related amendments were accepted by the UK Government during the Committee Stage so work will continue to try to get amendments tabled again during the remaining further stages in the House of Commons or House of Lords. 

The UK Parliament then started its summer recess period before any further stages could be progressed for the Equality Bill. The summer recess lasted from 21 July 2009 to 12 October 2009. Once the summer recess was over, the Equality Bill progressed to the House of Commons report stage.