Transgender Strategy
Development Process
Step 1 Purpose
Step 6 –
Council
Approval of
Draft
Step 7 – Pre
Consultation
groups
Step 2 –
Identifying
Stakeholders
*Step 5 –
Draft
document
Step 8 –
Formal
Consultation
Step 11 Implementation
Step 3 –
Legal
Framework
Step 4 Research
Step 9
Review
Consultation
Results
Step 10 –
Council
Approval
Step 12 Review
Step 1 - Purpose
•
•
•
•
Inform
– Council employees and all service users on their rights and
responsibilities
Support
– Use of Council services and facilities by individuals from the
transgender community
– Improve staff confidence and promote certainty in the delivery of
excellent customer service
Encourage
– Individuals from the transgender community to fully participate in public
life; and
– Access all available services
Change Perceptions
– Work to change public perceptions of transgender community through
the leadership and representational role of the Council
Step 2
Identifying Stakeholders
•
•
External
– Independent Public Bodies
• Equality Commission
• Human Rights Commission
• Commissioner for Children and Young People
• Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland
– Charities & Transgender Representative Groups
• Oyster Group
• Rainbow Project
• Transgender Forum
• Youthnet
Internal
– Councillors
– Council employees
Resources for information
– Rainbow Project
– Equality Commission
– Transgender NI website
– Equality and Human Rights Commission
Step 3 - Legal framework
Legislation
- s75 (1) (a) Northern Ireland Act 1998
- Sex Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 1976
- The Sex Discrimination (Amendment of Legislation) Regulations 2008
- Gender Recognition Act 2004
- Data Protection Act 1998
Step 3 – Contd.
Case law
Examples of important cases
- P v (1) S and (2) Cornwall County Council (1996 IRLR 347)(ECJ) –
unstated sum of compensation
- X v Brighton and Hove City Council [2006/7] - £34,765.18
Independent legal advice from Council legal advisors
– Highlighted legal complexities surrounding access to facilities and
services (including single sex changing facilities) which the Council
should clarify within the transgender strategy
Step 4 – Research
Equality Commission Workshops
– Good Practice on Transgender Issues
– Good Practice on Trans Issues for Service Providers
• Individuals from the transgender community provided details of their
own personal experiences and highlighted the issues they faced
Academic Publications
• Consulted Ruari-Santiago McBride (QUB School of Sociology, Social Policy
& Social Work)
- Written widely on issues facing transgender people in Northern Ireland
- Signposted to other academic work
- Gender Variance in the UK: Prevalence, Incidence, Growth and Geographic
Distribution (Reed, Rohdes, Schofield and Wylie, 2009)
- Employment Discrimination and Transsexual People (Whittle)
Step 4 – Research contd.
•
Guidance Documents
-
-
•
Provision of goods, facilities and services to trans people – guidance for public authorities in
meeting your equality duties and human rights obligations, Equality and Human Rights
Commission
Public bodies and the public sector duties relating to transsexual and transgender people:
Report of findings and case studies (Rankin, Cowan, Morton and Stoakes, Equality and
Human Rights Commission 2010)
Identified existing transgender policies/strategies in place in NI and GB
-
-
Belfast City Council Workforce LGBT Action Plan
Bromsgrove District Council, Sports and Leisure – Services and Facilities Access for Trans
People – Access to sports facilities
Islington Council Transgender/Transsexual Policy – Internal policy providing information on
ways in which Islington Council supports employees who are transitioning and Council
recruitment considerations
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Transgender Policy – Employer duties
• *Step 5 – Draft document
• Step 6 – Council approval of draft document to go for formal
consultation
• Step 7 – Pre Consultation
•
•
•
•
Rainbow Project
Ruari-Santiago McBride
Oyster – Transgender Peer Support Group
SAIL (Support, Acceptance, Information and Learning) – voluntary
support group for family, friends and carers and individuals living
with gender issues
• Butterfly Club – The Belfast Butterfly Club is a support network for
transgendered people and their families
• Youth net – Safe space for young people up to the age of 25 to
come together and discuss issues of gender and identity
Step 8 – Formal Consultation
•
•
Internal
– Service Unit Management Team
– Staff Consultative Committee
– Equality Working Group
– Corporate Management Team
– Internal & External Excellence Groups
External
– Organisations on Council consultation list
Step 9 – Review Consultation Responses and finalise draft
Step 10 – Council Approval
Step 11 – Implementation
– Communication of document to Staff and Council groups and identify
training requirements
Step 12 – Review
•
Review implementation of document within 12 months and identify further areas
for development
– Why?
• Strategy should be a living document
– Did it meet initial purpose?
• Inform
– Council employees and service users
• Support
– Use of Council services and facilities
– Improve staff confidence
• Encourage
– Participation and access to services
• Change perceptions
– Public perceptions
– Staff surveys or 1-1 interviews
– Feedback from stakeholder groups
• Both internal and external groups