Rebecca

@beccauk.bsky.social

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SFF fan, trans woman, sometimes dances 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🚀🩰💃

No confidence motions 6.28.A motion of no confidence in the Party Leader may be proposed in two ways: 6.28.1. by 50 Members of the Parliamentary Party or 50% of the Members of the Parliamentary Party (whichever is greater), writing to the Chairman and requesting a motion of no confidence. For the avoidance of doubt, clause 6.28.1 is only applicable in the event that the Parliamentary Party consists of more than 100 MPs; or 6.28.2. by 50% of all Members in Good Standing writing to the Chairman requesting a motion of no confidence. In either case such a request shall only be valid for 60 days from the day of receipt, after that time the Chairman shall disregard such requests.
Tabled by Ms Tonia ANTONIAZZI, Ms Kate OSAMOR, Ms Ruth JONES, Lord George FOULKES, Baroness Doreen E. MASSEY In the draft resolution, delete paragraph 5.
The Assembly condemns the highly prejudicial anti-gender, gender-critical and anti-trans narratives which reduce the struggle for the equality of LGBTI people to what these movements deliberately mis-characterise as "gender ideology" or "LGBTI ideology". Such narratives deny the very existence of LGBTI people, dehumanise them and often falsely portray their rights as being in conflict with women's and children's rights, or societal and family values in general. All of these are deeply damaging to LGBTI people, while also harming women's and children's rights and social cohesion.
The Assembly condemns the highly prejudicial anti-gender, gender-critical and anti-trans narratives which reduce the fight for the equality of LGBTI people to what these movements deliberately mis-characterise as "gender ideology" or "LGBTI ideology". Such narratives deny the very existence of LGBTI people, dehumanise them, and often falsely portray their rights as being in conflict with women's and children's rights, or societal and family values in general. All of these are deeply damaging to LGBTI people, while also harming women's and children's rights and social cohesion. Amendment 9 • 24 January 2022 ig: Tabled by Ms Tonia ANTONIAZZI, Ms Kate OSAMOR, Ms Ruth JONES, Lord George FOULKES, Baroness Doreen E. MASSEY In the draft resolution, delete paragraph 5.
In the draft resolution, paragraph 3, second sentence, delete the following words: "and the United Kingdom."
refuse to provide funding to local, regional or national authorities or other State or non-State actors that deny the human rights of LGBTI people, and to withdraw such funding if it has already been granted; Amendment 16 曲 24 January 2022 Tabled by Ms Tonia ANTONIAZZI, Ms Kate OSAMOR, Ms Ruth JONES, Lord George FOULKES, Baroness Doreen E. MASSEY In the draft resolution, replace paragraph 14.4 with the following paragraph: "challenge local, regional or national authorities or other State or non-State actors that deny the human rights of LGBTI people"
The Assembly condemns the highly prejudicial anti-gender, gender-critical and anti-trans narratives which reduce the struggle for the equality of LGBTI people to what these movements deliberately mis-characterise as “gender ideology” or “LGBTI ideology”. Such narratives deny the very existence of LGBTI people, dehumanise them and often falsely portray their rights as being in conflict with women’s and children’s rights, or societal and family values in general. All of these are deeply damaging to LGBTI people, while also harming women’s and children’s rights and social cohesion. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Resolution 2417 (2022)
That is a really important question. Let me explain how this will work. It is my view that legitimate healthcare would not fall under the remit of this Bill in any way, shape or form, because legitimate healthcare would never be abusing somebody to try to change their identity and causing them serious harm. However, I recognise the concerns about the risk of a chilling effect. We do not want that, because good therapy and good conversation is really important. That is why we have put this exemption on the face of the Bill.
In a recent global survey, a total of 1,641 survivors of practices of “conversion therapy” identified main perpetrators. Medical and mental health providers were identified as the main perpetrators in 45.8 per cent of cases, religious authorities, traditional healers and groups in 18.9 per cent, conversion camps and rehabilitation centres in 8.5 per cent and parents in 6.9 per cent. State authorities – such as police, military and other entities – accounted for 4.4 per cent of cases, and school authorities in 4.4 per cent
Conversion therapy Five percent of respondents had been offered so called 'conversion' or 'reparative' therapy (but did not take it up) and a further 2% had undergone it. We did not provide a definition of conversion therapy in the survey, but it can range from pseudo-psychological treatments to, in extreme cases, surgical interventions and 'corrective' rape. These figures were higher for trans respondents (e.g. 9% of trans men been offered it and 4% had undergone it). Faith organisations were by far the most likely group to have conducted conversion therapy (51% of those who received it had it conducted by faith groups), followed by healthcare professionals (19% of those who received it had it conducted by healthcare professionals).
A screenshot from the guardian. On the left a man in black rectangled glasses (Burnham). On the right, a man in black rectangle glasses. (Starmer). They have uncannily similar facial expressions.
LDPR - Liberal Democratic Party of Russiala] [19||20] is a Russian ultranationalist and right-wing populist political party. It succeeded the Liberal Democratic Party of the Soviet Union (LDPSU) in Russia after the dissolution of the
The machinery of government itself has been left to decay. Decisions that should take days, take months. Departments fight each other instead of the problem. Officials and ministers who know the truth are not always rewarded for telling it. We are trying to govern a more dangerous world with processes designed for a calmer one, and the gap is now showing in the things that matter most. - Al Carns
Example: 10.37. An independent secondary school provides boarding accommodation for male pupils in one dormitory and female pupils in a different dormitory. A trans girl pupil (who was born male) asks to move from the male dormitory to sleep in the female dormitory. The school refuses the request because of the statutory requirement for sex segregation contained in the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999. However, to accommodate the pupil, it arranges for them to be accommodated in a single unit 'study bedroom'. The unit has its own ensuite bathroom with a toilet and shower. This is likely to be lawful.
the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999(1) after regulation 1, insert— Application 1A. These Regulations apply in relation to all schools maintained by local authorities in Wales.".
Boarding and trans pupils 10.34. In accordance with the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999, in relation to pupils aged 8 and over, a trans pupil cannot board in the same room as pupils of the opposite sex.
10.33. It is also important to be aware that, where boarding for both male and female pupils is provided, the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 require that pupils aged 8 and over should not sleep in the same room as pupils of the opposite sex.
232. Reports from civil society organisations further indicate that LBTI women face increased barriers to accessing shelters, in particular trans women. 295 GREVIO notes with concern the growing controversy in debates in the UK around access to specialist support services for trans women. In this context, it wishes to point to the fundamental principles of the Istanbul Convention. which serve to guide decision makers in finding adequate solutions in line with the spirit of the convention. These are first and foremost the principle of non-discrimination set out in Article 4, paragraph 3, requiring all measures taken for the implementation of the convention to be carried out without discrimination
Il. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 14 OF THE CONVENTION READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH ARTICLES 3 AND 8 61. Under Article 14 of the Convention taken in conjunction with Articles 3 and 8, the applicant complained that he was forced to repeatedly and involuntarily disclose his gender identity ("come out") every time he had to present his identity documents. 62. The Court notes that this part of the application is not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention and is not inadmissible on any other grounds. It should therefore be declared admissible. However, in view of its finding concerning Article 8 (see paragraph 60 above), the Court considers it unnecessary to examine whether there has been a violation in the present case of Article 14 read in conjunction with that provision (see S.V. v. Italy, § 77, and X and Y v. Romania, § 171, both cited above).
However, where a particularly important facet of an individual's existence or identity is at stake, the margin allowed to the State will be restricted (see, in particular, Hämäläinen v. Finland [GC], no. 37359/09, § 67, ECHR 2014, and A.P., Garçon and Nicot, cited above, § 121). The Court has also considered that since the notion of personal autonomy is an important principle underlying the interpretation of the guarantees of Article 8 and the right to gender identity and personal development is a fundamental aspect of the right to respect for private life, the States have only a narrow margin of appreciation in that area (ibid., § 123).
Our assessment is therefore that the likely impacts on gender reassignment as a characteristic are negative, in relation to each of the 3 limbs of the PSED. Mitigating factors are the ability of service providers to create 'third-space' provision for trans people, and the guidance in the Code on when it is, and is not, proportionate and necessary to request information on sex at birth.
ICCPR concluding observations 2024, paragraph 19: The State party should continue its efforts and adopt the measures necessary to prohibit the practice of so-called conversion therapy against lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, including in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, it should take legislative and other measures to eliminate intrusive requirements for legal gender recognition, including psychiatric diagnosis, and provide for and effectively implement a quick, transparent and accessible procedure for legal gender recognition that is compatible with the provisions of the Covenant.
ICCPR concluding observations 2024, paragraph 19: The State party should continue its efforts and adopt the measures necessary to prohibit the practice of so-called conversion therapy against lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, including in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, it should take legislative and other measures to eliminate intrusive requirements for legal gender recognition, including psychiatric diagnosis, and provide for and effectively implement a quick, transparent and accessible procedure for legal gender recognition that is compatible with the provisions of the Covenant.
ICCPR concluding observations 2024, paragraph 19: The State party should continue its efforts and adopt the measures necessary to prohibit the practice of so-called conversion therapy against lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, including in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, it should take legislative and other measures to eliminate intrusive requirements for legal gender recognition, including psychiatric diagnosis, and provide for and effectively implement a quick, transparent and accessible procedure for legal gender recognition that is compatible with the provisions of the Covenant.
ICCPR concluding observations 2024, paragraph 19: The State party should continue its efforts and adopt the measures necessary to prohibit the practice of so-called conversion therapy against lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, including in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, it should take legislative and other measures to eliminate intrusive requirements for legal gender recognition, including psychiatric diagnosis, and provide for and effectively implement a quick, transparent and accessible procedure for legal gender recognition that is compatible with the provisions of the Covenant.
A social media graphic from Girl Guides of Canada on a dark blue background. At the centre is a rainbow arch with the Progress Pride flag colours incorporated into the left side of the rainbow, including black, brown, light blue, pink, and white stripes. A white trefoil (three-leaf clover) symbol sits beneath the rainbow, surrounded by small white stars. The text reads: “Everyone belongs in Guiding.” The Girl Guides logo appears below. The graphic conveys an inclusive Pride Month message affirming that all girls and young people are welcome in Girl Guides
Statement from the LGBT+ Labour National Committee following the publication of the EHRC's updated code of practice The LGBT+ Labour National Committee is deeply disappointed by the updated code of practice published on Thursday by the EHRC. Members of all marginalised groups should have the right to fairness, dignity, and respect when accessing services. While the updated code of practice is an improvement on the previous guidance issued in 2025, it still falls short on realising this ideal. The code of practice as published will likely lead to widespread difficulties for service providers and trans people trying to safely access services. In particular, the recommendation that people may be excluded from services on a 'case-by-case basis' because of their appearance is likely to lead to increased harassment for gender nonconforming people of all identities. We will continue to campaign for changes which uphold the dignity of Trans and gender-nonconforming people in our community. If anyone in our community is in need of further support, you can contact the national GBT+ support line, Switchboard, here: https://switchboard.lgbt
Mail headline: Don't ask trans people what sex they are in toilets, Britain's equalities watchdog says
“Long-awaited equality guidance has warned that transgender people should not routinely be challenged over which lavatories they use”
13.170 It is unlikely to be either practical or appropriate to approach any particular individual to make enquiries about their sex in relation to facilities, such as toilets, which are incidental to the primary service.
Safeguarding risks: Concern that excluding trans women from female services could mean they have to use male services, where they could face a disproportionate risk of violence and sexual assault (although this will depend on the nature of the service in question). Relations between groups: The debate on single sex services and the treatment of trans people is particularly divisive at this time. The Code of Practice may exacerbate these tensions. This may be somewhat mitigated through careful communications surrounding the Code's publication.
13.178 Where an individual confirms, in response to such a request, that they are not of the sex for which the single or separate-sex service or association in question is intended, they may be required to leave and thereafter be excluded from the service. This should again be handled as sensitively as possible in the circumstances. 13.179 Where there remains a genuine concern about the accuracy of the response to a request for an individual to confirm their sex, then the service provider, person performing public functions or association should consider what action is proportionate in the circumstances. There is no type of official record or document in the UK which provides reliable evidence of sex. For example, sex on passports and driving licences may be changed with or without a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), and birth certificates may reflect the acquired gender of someone who has a GRC. Therefore, it is unlikely to be proportionate or practical to ask for further evidence of a person's sex. In such circumstances, it is likely to be necessary to weigh up the relevant factors to decide whether to exclude the individual from the service or association or to permit them to continue to access it. 13.180 Factors that may be relevant to this decision include: • the strength of the continuing grounds for concern • the nature of the service • the nature and potential severity of the risks and potential harms to, respectively, the individual in question and other service users
13.170 It is unlikely to be either practical or appropriate to approach any particular individual to make enquiries about their sex in relation to facilities, such as toilets, which are incidental to the primary service.
Part Three: Statements and Matters of Particular Interest to Parliament 10. Matters of special interest to Parliament 10.1 None. European Convention on Human Rights 10.2 No statement is required as the draft Code is not, and does not amend, legislation.
Generally, we have assessed that changes which apply across all protected characteristics contribute to the pursuit of the 3 aims in the PSED, and have a positive impact overall. However, the exception to this would be the gender reassignment protected characteristic, where we do think there are negative impacts. We assess that updates following the FWS ruling may also negatively impact other characteristics, including disability and sex.
Safeguarding risks: Concern that excluding trans women from female services could mean they have to use male services, where they could face a disproportionate risk of violence and sexual assault (although this will depend on the nature of the service in question). Relations between groups: The debate on single sex services and the treatment of trans people is particularly divisive at this time. The Code of Practice may exacerbate these tensions. This may be somewhat mitigated through careful communications surrounding the Code's publication.
Guidance is given that a service is very likely to be liable for sex discrimination due to being a separate or single-sex service if an exception is made to admit individuals who are not of the same sex as the single-sex service (read paragraphs 13.130 to 13.131). This covers risks of unlawful discrimination that could arise from admission of trans people of the opposite biological sex to a single-sex service, such as admitting a trans woman to a women’s service.
Minister for Women and Equalities 14. Equality Act 2010 update
Secretary of State for Business and Trade 1. Horizon Shortfall Scheme Fixed Sum Offer Permission to Appeal process and Independent Senior Lawyer 2. Trade Negotiations Minister for the Cabinet Office 3. UK COVID-19 Inquiry response costs for Quarter 3 25/26 The Chancellor of the Exchequer 4. Transport taxation update Secretary of State for Defence 5. Publication of the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations Annual Reports and Accounts Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 6. Review of the statutory Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England Secretary of State for the Home Department 7. Telecoms Fraud Charter: Six-Month Progress Update Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government 8. Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report Update Notes: Texts of Written Statements are available from the Vote Office and on the internet at https://questions- statements.parliament.uk/ .
News story UK to host its first global LGBT conference The UK will host its first ever global LGBT conference to tackle inequality around the world and urge countries to take action.
65. The offences carve out pornographic images where it is fanciful or ridiculous that the person in the image is a child under the age of 16 in the way pretended. For example, a pornographic image where an adult dresses in a nappy and pretends to be a baby will not be caught. Such behaviour is not illegal in real life and is about regression and humiliation, not the sexualisation of children. The offence is also not intended to criminalise a pornographic image of someone who is clearly an adult where the only marker of childhood is the fact that he or she is in school uniform. This limitation ensures the offence is the least restrictive way of addressing the legitimate aims.
However, it is strongly arguable that the Human Rights Act 1998 is a constitutional instrument. Only those parts of the the human rights act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010 which go beyond the requirements of EU Directives could be repealed – unless the UK leaves the EU. But even then, the European Convention on Human Rights will still be binding in the UK under international law.In practice it is unthinkable that any UK government would repeal the protection that the law currently provides to LGBT people in the fields of employment and provision of services.
Map of Europe. The UK in green.
Chart showing score by year. 2013: 76.5 2014: 80.25 2015: 86 2016: 79.19 2017: 75.73 2018: 73.48 2019: 67.62 2020: 66.16 2021: 63.74 2022: 53.40 2023: 53.4 2024: 53.4 2025: 45.65 2026: 43.90
"We welcome the Supreme Court judgment in 'Dillon and others'. It has accepted that Article 2 of the Windsor Framework is capable of direct effect in domestic law, in a wide set of circumstances. "As part of our application to the court, to clarify how the judgment in 'For Women Scotland' should be applied in Northern Ireland, we stressed that this matter should be held until the Supreme Court handed down its judgment in 'Dillon and others'. This is a detailed judgment, and the Commission will take time to consider its implications in relation to our remit." Further information and the full judgment is available on the Supreme Court website
However, this does not mean that article 2(1) of the Windsor Framework is incapable of having direct effect in any circumstances. First, article 2(1) specifically refers to six EU Directives which all relate to the prohibition of discrimination. Article 2(1) taken with one of those EU Directives might have direct effect. None of those EU Directives applies in this case [118].
The Telegraph: Burnham wins over Labour’s ruling body
Government must close loophole ‘that lets protesters incite anti-Semitic violence’
Screenshot of deed
No men, no Zionists and no Tories: Britain’s unlawful rental market exposed
Headline: New Stonewall chair Kezia Dugdale 'sorry' for saying she 'respects' JK Rowling Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale will take over as the new chair of Stonewall
Westminster Hall debate First anniversary of the For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers ruling - Carla Lockhart 2:30pm - 4:00pm
a person is not to be taken as pretending to be under 16 if it is fanciful that they are actually under 16 in the way pretended
gender-questioning children) at a disadvantage relative to other children. 2 Schools and colleges should consider this both when developing the policy itself and when considering requests to be exempt from such policies. Where the rule or policy does place a gender-questioning child (and other gender-questioning children) at a disadvantage, the school or college should consider the following: (1) What are the aims of the policy? (2) Is there another way of achieving the same aim? Might a policy be adopted or an exception made that still achieves that aim? (3) What is the impact of the rule, or of making an exception (or not making an exception) on the child themselves and anyone else affected? The school or college should balance the impact of agreeing the child's request against the impact of refusing their request, taking into account all the relevant factors. This will include taking into account the school or college's judgment about whether supporting social transition is in the child's best interests and the best interests of other children, as above.
62 Schools and colleges must undertake this balanced consideration in order to ensure that they do not discriminate against children with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment when taking decisions in this area. Some gender questioning children may not have the protected characteristic of gender reassignment. In practice, it may be very difficult for a school or college to determine whether a gender-questioning child has this protected characteristic or not. We therefore advise schools and colleges to apply the same consideration to all requests relating to social transition received from gender-questioning children and this guidance is drafted on that basis. 70
Children living in stealth 274. Schools and colleges should be particularly conscious of the vulnerabilities of children who have fully socially transitioned from an early age and may be living in stealth (that is, school or college friends/staff may be unaware of their biological sex). The Cass Review emphasised that these children are likely to approach puberty in a fearful and anxious state. Schools and colleges should involve the DSL in these cases.
Sport 94. This section does not apply to colleges outside the "further education sector as defined by the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. 31 DRAFT - NOT CURRENT DE POLICY 95. As children get older, some sports are typically taught and played in single-sex groups.2 The Equality Act 2010 contains an exception in relation to single-sex sport. It applies to participation in any sport or game, or activity of a competitive nature, where the physical strength, stamina or physique of the average girl would put her at a disadvantage in competition with the average boy (or vice versa). This means that schools and colleges can separate children according to their biological sex in these circumstances without discriminating unlawfully against them on the basis of their sex. 96. Some sports may need to be played in single-sex groups from a certain age to ensure children's safety, and where this is the case there should be no exceptions. In other cases, schools or colleges may have adopted a policy of single-sex sports for reasons related to fairness. 97. Where there are no safety concerns and a child makes a request relating to how they participate, schools and colleges will need to consider the request in light of the advice on "considering requests for support with social transition". This means that the school or college would need to take into account all the relevant factors, including whether supporting social transition is overall in the best interests of the child, as well as considering the impact on other children and the aim of creating safe and fair environments for children to participate in PE.
Boarding and residential accommodation 191. This section does not apply to colleges outside the "further education sector" as defined by the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. 192. To comply with their safeguarding duties, schools and colleges must not allow a child to share overnight accommodation with a child of the opposite 53 DRAFT - NOT CURRENT DE POLICY biological sex. Responding to a request to support any degree of social transition must not include allowing access to boarding or residential accommodation designated for the opposite sex 193. In allocating sleeping arrangements such as dormitories, tents or shared rooms for school or college trips, schools and colleges must have regard to their duties under the Equality Act, their safeguarding obligations, and other relevant regulations and standards, including those relating to boarding and residential accommodation. 194. If, however, a child does not want to share a room with another child of the same biological sex, alternative arrangements should be sought where possible. Alternative arrangements should not compromise the safety, comfort, privacy or dignity of any child. They might include, for instance, finding a suitable separate room for the child. 195. Where a child's concern reflects a request for support with social transition, the school or college should consider the section on "considering requests for support with social transition" before making any decisions. 196. Schools and colleges should have regard to the National Minimum Standards for boarding schools, the National Minimum Standards for residential special schools and the Further Education residential accommodation: national minimum standards, as appropriate.
Regulations and safeguarding requirements relating to school premises Toilets 104. This section does not apply to colleges outside the "further education sector" as defined by the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. 105. Schools must not allow children into toilets designated for the opposite biological sex. This includes where schools are responding to a request to support any degree of social transition for children who are questioning their gender.
By including advice in KCSIE, our intention is to reflect the importance for schools of making careful decisions about what is in the best interests of children, including children who are questioning their gender. Schools and colleges have obligations to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in their care, and children who are questioning their gender are no exception. Children who are questioning their gender may need sensitive and thoughtful involvement from their school or college. When handled well, with appropriate parental involvement and attention to any clinical input, the school or college's involvement can help to avoid safeguarding issues arising. Guidance in this area must be focused on the best interests of children as well as the legal duties of schools and colleges. Our intention is to provide a framework for schools and colleges as they consider these issues. By including this in KCSIE, the advice and framework we are offering will be on a statutory footing. Paragraphs 104-115 and paragraphs 191-196 in KCSIE clarify a school or college's legal obligations in relation to single-sex spaces, including toilets, changing rooms and boarding / residential accommodation. The guidance is clear about the law, that schools and colleges should not make exceptions to single-sex policies that are required to comply with statutory requirements