The first ever assessment of the needs of trans people in Brighton & Hove [1] has found there is still much work to be done to tackle the discrimination, abuse and isolation suffered by trans people.
The report follows the excellent work by the Trans Equality Scrutiny Panel, set up under the previous Green administration and chaired by Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty, to raise awareness of trans people and their experiences living in Brighton and Hove.
Key issues identified in the reported included poor health outcomes, including the fact that four in five trans people had experienced depression and one in three had self-harmed in the last five years. In addition, sixty-four per cent of trans people surveyed reported that they had experienced verbal abuse.
Councillor Mac Cafferty commented:
“The results of the Trans Needs Assessment affirms the need for the work in the first place. However it also reminds us of the work that we have yet to do.
“I’m proud that in recent years we stood up with our city’s Trans community, and the progress we made in implementing 37 recommendations brought forward from the Scrutiny panel, which I was pleased to chair.
“Today, for example we have the country’s very first detailed plan to reduce the health inequalities facing the trans community, a trans toolkit to help teachers drive transphobia out of our classrooms and playgrounds and much improved hate crime incident reporting. We have had the country’s first ever trans only swimming lessons and the establishment of the very successful Trans Pride.
“Despite the work of the Council and other partners, the findings in the Trans needs assessment underline huge issues facing the Trans community. We need the work on Trans equality to continue and deepen. Greens remain fully committed to making that equality a reality and with the Trans community we will push together for a fairer future.”
Notes
[1]
https://www.bhconnected.org.uk/sites/bhconnected/files/Brighton%20%26%20Hove%20Trans%20Needs%20Assessment%202015.pdf
[2]
https://www.brightonhovegreens.org/news/2013/05/02/a-fairer-city-for-our-trans-community/