Fighting for equality and inclusion for disabled people everywhere

Disability History Month is an important opportunity to remember how far we have come in the battle for disability rights and equality.

There is still a long road ahead to ensure equality and inclusion for disabled people.

It is also a time to honour those who have led the way forward, defied stereotypes and contributed so much to the success of our country.

8 November marked the the 25th anniversary of the passing of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

The act made it illegal for employers and service providers to discriminate against someone because they were disabled. This was a key step in advancing disability rights. 

As a society we have come a long way since then, but we cannot afford to become complacent – there is still a long road ahead to ensure equality and inclusion for disabled people everywhere.

This year’s theme is “access” which highlights continued failures to improve accessibility be it in the physical environment, access to information or services.

We all benefit when everyone can fully participate in our society.

We must work to challenge this because we all benefit when everyone can fully participate in our society. 

Finally, I want to thank everyone involved in organising this month’s events.

I wish you all the very best for a successful and thought-provoking Disability History Month.

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We cannot stand by as thousands are left homeless this winter

With coronavirus putting the most vulnerable in our communities at risk, we must ensure no one is left behind.

2020 has seen a sharp rise in rough sleeping. Without a home to stay in, these people are at a higher risk of catching the virus and have no way to self-isolate.

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Liberals Must Fight For Trans Rights

13 November marks the beginning of Trans Awareness Week.

Started in 1988, this week is for amplifying the voices of trans people, and for advocating an end to the discrimination and prejudice that trans people still face today. The week ends with Trans Day of Remembrance, on 20 November, which honours the memory of the lives of trans people whose lives were lost to violence and bigotry that year.

For many trans people COVID-19 has only added to the sense of a life on-hold awaiting treatment.

Throughout the year trans people have faced a number of challenges.

The coronavirus, which has hung over us all this year, has impacted minorities disproportionately. As LGBT+ LD highlighted back in March, this has been especially true for trans people.

An overwhelmed NHS has cancelled many, many appointments to deal with COVID-19: access to hormones, therapy and surgery for trans people have all been impacted. In a system where waiting lists can be years-long even without a pandemic, for many trans people COVID-19 has only added to the sense of a life on-hold awaiting treatment.

And then there has been the bitterly disappointing scrapping of Gender Recognition Act reform. Despite three years of promises and consultations from successive Conservative governments – which in turn whipped up a storm of anti-trans hatred and misinformation – the Government in September gutted its plans to reform the GRA.

We are calling on Liberal Democrats up and down the country to join us in standing up for the rights and dignity of all trans people.

The vast majority of respondents to consultations called for self-ID, the removal of the spousal veto, and allowing non-binary people to gain legal recognition. Instead, all we got was a suggestion to take the process online and to offer a slight discount.

The government’s changes do little to protect trans people or their dignity. Gendered Intelligence at the time summed the reforms up well: “reforming a piece of legislation which is fundamentally broken cannot mean slapping a discount sticker on it and expecting great results”.

These two huge policy areas have dominated much of 2020 for LGBT+ activists – but there are many other areas of concern for trans people. For example, recent studies have highlighted how trans people are at once more likely to be highly educated than the average person, but also significantly more likely to be unemployed or live in poverty.

We have challenges in our own party to remedy, also.

Our leadership contenders this year were united in their defence of trans rights, which have been embedded in our manifestos for years. We have adopted a formal definition of transphobia, and at Conference this year we passed a motion to make trans and nonbinary members more able to participate in our party. However, the debate at the conference shone a light on the transphobia that still exists in our party. Our party may be at the forefront of the fight for trans rights – but we cannot be complacent with ourselves.

In spite of the challenges the trans community are facing there is hope.

That’s why we are calling on Liberal Democrats up and down the country to join us in standing up for the rights and dignity of all trans people.

Trans rights are human rights. Non-binary people are non-binary, trans men are men, and trans women are women. These sentences are not contentious in our party.

In spite of the challenges the trans community are facing there is hope.

The recent United States elections—which saw more and more LGB people get elected to congress—also saw LGBT+ rights campaigner and the National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, Sarah McBride, become the first State Senator-elect in US history who is openly trans.

Progress and justice are not inevitable – but they are possible. It is our job, and the job of all liberals, to make it so.

– LGBT+ Executive

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Time is ticking for a united approach to keeping families safe at Christmas

With people across the United Kingdom desperate to be home safely with their families this festive season, I was glad to hear that all four governments have listened to Liberal Democrat calls to work together on how this can happen. 

With many families split across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland we need clarity this Christmas: conflicting measures introduced by the respective governments of the UK nations will simply cause further confusion and complications.

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The Government must stop stalling and hold China to account

Time and again the Chinese Government has shown its utter disdain for the Joint Declaration. 

The disqualification of elected lawmakers in Hong Kong is reprehensible and marks another step in China’s work to end democracy and freedom on the peninsula.

The ‘one country, two systems’ is disappearing before our eyes.

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