At the Council meeting on 22 October 2020, councillors passed a joint party motion titled ‘Trans rights are human rights’.

The full text of the motion is below:

Trans Rights are Human Rights

Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Non-binary individuals are non-binary. We believe in the dignity of all people and their right to respect and equality of opportunity. We value the strength that comes with difference and the positive contribution that diversity brings to our community. Our aspiration is for Cambridge and the wider region to be safe, welcoming and inclusive.

The Council notes:

1. The failure of the Tory Government to keep its promise to reform the gender recognition act, claiming that these reforms are not a priority for the trans community, despite overwhelming support from that community to de-medicalise the process, remove the spousal veto, and allow non-binary individuals to gain legal recognition.
2. The concerning number of reported hate crimes against LGBTQIA+ people, with hate crime against trans people having quadrupled in the last 5 years.
3. The strong partnership the council has had with LGBTQIA+ groups in the city, including the Kite Trust, Dhiverse, the Encompass Network and Cambridge Pride and the desire to continue to build and develop these relationships as part of our equality work.
4. Council’s support for LGBTQIA+ initiatives including:
   1. participation in schemes such as the Encompass Network Safe Spaces initiative,
   2. financial support to LGBTQIA+ groups through the grants programme, with grants of £23,500 in the period 2020/21,
   3. LGBT+ History Month and Cambridge Pride,
   4. arranging awareness training for staff and councillors.
5. That despite many positive initiatives there is always more to do to ensure that we are a genuinely supportive, inclusive and welcoming city.
6. Our commitment to the Black Lives Matter movement, and our recognition that LGBT+ people of colour face particular challenges and prejudices.

This Council therefore resolves to:

• Recognise that it should be up to LGBTQIA+ groups to decide what flag is flown to represent them, continue to consult with all LGBTQIA+ community support and voluntary groups within the city about flying the Progress Pride Flag, at every occasion where the Pride flag would previously have been flown. This also represents LGBTQIA+ people of colour, in line with our commitment to supporting the BLM movement.
• State publicly that trans rights are human rights and affirm the legal rights of all protected groups under the 2010 equality act.
• Facilitate and strongly encourage all councillors to attend relevant training, such as Safer Spaces and trans awareness training.
• Fly the trans flag on international trans day of visibility (March 31st) and international trans day of remembrance (November 20th)
• Look into what we can do as a council to further promote our equality pledge and to raise awareness of the community grants fund amongst LGBTQIA+ groups.
• Recommit to ensuring a welcoming, inclusive, and respectful relationship with all groups recognised under The Equality Act as having protected characteristics, and to reviewing what additional work can be done to support all these groups as part of the upcoming review of the Single Equalities Scheme. And recommit to doing this in an environment of kindness, compassion and mutual respect.