**Scotland’s third sector can play a huge role in working towards trans equality, and now is the time to act.**

We’ve come a long way towards LGBT equality in the last few decades. But now more than ever, we need to unite for trans rights. Trans people are facing huge levels of abuse and discrimination in their daily lives.  [Police Scotland revealed last month](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/trans-people-face-increasingly-unwelcoming-21474662) that hate crimes towards the trans community have almost doubled since 2015. This is unacceptable and needs to change.

To create a more equal Scotland, we need to reform the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (GRA) – the law that governs how trans people can have the correct gender marker registered on their birth certificate. At the moment, the process is lengthy, arduous, humiliating and not to mention, expensive. Trans people must submit a portfolio of evidence, including a medical diagnosis, medical reports and proof that they’ve been living as a man or a woman, to a panel of people who they will never meet.

Having the wrong gender on your birth certificate isn’t just degrading, it also causes practical problems in trans people’s lives. Without a Gender Recognition Certificate, your privacy isn’t as well protected. And trans people can be recognised as the wrong gender in marriage and in death. For non-binary people, there’s still no process to have their gender reflected on official documents.

Having a birth certificate with you gender on it matters. It is a statement of validation that you are recognised by the state, at a time when trans people need recognition and acceptance. That’s why we, along with other trans and LGBT organisations and activists, have been campaigning to update this system to one which is less intrusive and more accessible.

The Scottish Government’s consultation on its [draft Gender Recognition Reform Bill](https://consult.gov.scot/family-law/gender-recognition-reform-scotland-bill/) is a chance to have a streamlined, de-medicalised process that would improve the lives of so many trans people. The system being proposed is one that will rely on statutory declaration. This isn’t a new system or way of working, it’s one that’s been tried and tested in many places, and is already in use in other countries like Ireland.

But to make sure this reform goes ahead; we need your help and the help of the whole sector. Third sector organisations in Scotland have a proud history of supporting trans people, both as service users and within LGBT communities. The Scottish Government wants to hear from as diverse a range of voices as possible to hear why trans equality matters and to support these changes. This is a critical opportunity to improve the lives of trans people across Scotland. It only takes 5 – 10 minutes to respond and show your organisation’s support for trans people. Whether this is your first time responding to a Government consultation or your fiftieth, we’ve produced some guidance you can read below to make it as easy and smooth as possible.

But don’t just stop there. Talk about this with your colleagues, friends and family and ask them to respond too. The more people we get to Come Out for Trans Equality, the sooner we create a Scotland where every person can be accepted for who they are – no exceptions.

#### Read our guidance and respond to the consultation at [www.stonewallscotland.org.uk/trans-equality](http://www.stonewallscotland.org.uk/trans-equality) 

The consultation closes on **Tuesday 17 March 2020**.

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## About SCVO

SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector.

Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact.

SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector.

Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners.

Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored, learning opportunities.

SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience.

Discounts and savings savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org).

For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)