Brighton Councillors In Trans Rights Row

A Green councillor has accused Labour of failing to do enough to tackle transphobia.

Her remarks followed criticism levelled at a Labour councillor over tweets that pre-dated her election to Brighton and Hove City Council in May.

Councillor Alison Thomson retweeted posts by or supporting Harry Potter author JK Rowling and the feminist Germaine Greer.

When details emerged last month, Councillor Thomson apologised unreservedly and the Labour council leader Bella Sankey said:

“I have also taken the decision to remove Councillor Thomson from her lead role on city centre renewal while further investigation is carried out and subject to her completing training.”

But at a meeting this week, Green councillor Chloë Goldsmith asked how Labour would “meaningfully demonstrate” to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning/queer, asexual plus (LGBTIQA+) people that the party would stand up for them in the face of hate and discrimination.

At the council’s Equalities, Community Safety and Human Rights Committee, Councillor Goldsmith said:

“There is currently a group on the EQuiP (Equalities and Inclusion) Partnership. I understand Labour has been asked not to attend because they don’t believe you (Labour) are taking it seriously.

“In terms of meeting with groups, I have been speaking with a few groups myself.

“I was disappointed to find out that at a meeting of the volunteering community sector organisations on (Wednesday) 13 September, Councillor Sankey didn’t answer various questions from LGBT groups but promised a written answer by (Friday) 29 September.

“As of (Wednesday 11 October), when I last spoke to them, they still had not received a response, just an apology with a future commitment.”

She said that two round-table sessions promised to the Clare Project, a transgender support group, with Labour councillor Leslie Pumm, who chairs the Equalities, Community Safety and Human Rights Committee, had also not happened.

The committee’s deputy chair, Labour councillor Maureen Winder, read from the statement issued by Councillor Sankey when Councillor Thomson’s posts on Twitter, now known as X, came to light.

Councillor Sankey said that the Labour council stood in “solidarity with our trans, non-binary and intersex communities” and said that anti-trans sentiment would not be tolerated.

After the committee meeting at Hove Town Hall on Friday (13 October), Councillor Pumm said:

“As your Labour council, our commitment to TNBI equity and inclusion is unwavering.

“As chair of the Equalities, Community Safety and Human Rights committee, I am fully committed to continue working with the trans sub-group of the city’s equality and inclusion partnership to bring about change and improve outcomes for our TNBI residents.

“We have made a commitment in the corporate plan to develop a gender equality strategy and this must be inclusive of the inequities experienced by TNBI communities.”

Councillor Pumm said that the last Labour government introduced the 2004 Gender Recognition Act which enabled trans people to legally change their gender for the first time.

He also said that Labour introduced the 2010 Equality Act which protects those who have undergone gender reassignment from discrimination and harassment.

Councillor Pumm added:

“We are proud that Labour was the party to bring in these changes. Now, in 2023, we have a much better understanding of the barriers trans people face and that is why Labour has committed to modernising the Gender Recognition Act when in government.

“This will modernise, simplify and reform the gender recognition law to a new process.”