Gender Recognition Blues

Some stories you won’t be reading in the UK press this week about Gender Recognition Reform

Trans Rights Demo: picture provided courtesy of Scottish Trans Alliance

There were many issues with Theresa May’s never fully fledged proposals for reforming the Gender Recognition Act. Perhaps the greatest was a supine and dishonest press, that did not understand the concept, but nonetheless hated it, and has since consistently misled the public at every turn.

As parliament prepares to recess, two cheers for the Gender Recognition Act, a remarkable piece of zombie legislation,which even now refuses to die. Too controversial to put down: too many ignorant opinion-havers poking at politicians to allow it to proceed.

Just two certainties remain. That government will spend the summer seeking some sort of fudge that will please all, but end up upsetting everyone. And the UK media will continue to rehash, mislead and, yes, lie, in order to represent a simple administrative measure as the end of the world as we know it.

Last week’s untold story

Let’s start with a story we did not hear about last week. 15 July marks the fifth anniversary of the passing of Ireland’s Gender Recognition Act (GRA). The legislation did not go into force until a month or so later: but that is the date when Ireland’s trans community…