At our February 2023 Branch Committee meeting, we passed the following motion. This will now be submitted for debate at National Delegates Conference.

This branch notes:

• UNISON’s clear support for the rights of trans people and the welcome introduction of trans-ally training throughout the union.
• The blocking of the proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Reform Bill from the Scottish Parliament by the Conversative Westminster government under the use of Section 35.
• That these reforms are intended to make life easier for trans people, one of the most oppressed and victimised sections of society. For example, in a recent survey for Stonewall, 41% of trans men and trans women said they had experienced a hate crime or incident in the last 12 months due to their gender identity and 25% had said they had experienced homelessness. The UK government’s own Equalities Survey found 67% of trans people had avoided being open about their gender identity for fear of a negative reaction.
• Furthermore according to Trans Murder Monitoring, between October 2021 and September 2022 there were 327 reported murders of trans or gender non-conforming people around the world.

This branch believes that:

• This move by Sunak’s government is an attack on the democratic rights of the people of Scotland and a further attempt to whip up ‘culture wars’ against an already demonised group, at a time when workers are increasingly fighting back against the cost of living crisis.
• The rights of trans people do not conflict with the rights of other oppressed groups
• The trade union movement should defend the right to self determination and the democratic rights of the people of Scotland, against an increasingly anti-democratic Westminster Tory government.
• We need a united working class movement that fights against all forms of oppression and for fully-funded public services.
• Ultimately our rights and liberation will not be won through the courts, but through collective action and the fight for a different form of society.
• We should stand in solidarity with our trans comrades and fight for a full ban on trans ‘conversion therapy’, to immediately scrap all barriers to legal self-identification of gender, for fully funded trans healthcare and our NHS and to stop the attacks on provision of puberty blockers.

This branch resolves to:

• Send our solidarity to our trans members.
• Support protests and struggles to defend and extend the GRA reform.
• Support the struggle for self-determination of the people of Scotland.
• Send this motion to all relevant union bodies as appropriate including other labour movement bodies and National Delegate Conference.
• Publicise this motion to all branch members.