Gscene columnist Emma asks us all to ‘Write a letter to Liz’ about Trans Equality
This film unfortunately depicts the sad reality for most of us. People who hold negative opinions about trans people, have often never met or even spoken to one.
I am so sad by the scaremongering I read throughout the day on public platforms by people who haven’t got the faintest idea of what is happening in our lives.
Since the beginning of this pandemic, I’ve put my writing pen down and it was my understanding that as the entire world is suffering, we should all unite and do our best to help one another and try to survive this situation with as little casualties as possible.
But some unpleasant groups are ramping up their anti-trans attitudes and online campaigning and have been using the lockdown as an excuse to write to politicians and companies to try and strip Trans and the wider LGBTQ+ communities of our rights. Some of these horrible people are even pretending to be LGB groups.
We all need to take a stand against this invidious influence and their attempts to represent their views as acceptable. They are not, it’s hatred dressed up as concern, manufactured bigotry and outrage masquerading as truth. We’ve heard this all before. We know what lies they have used against our communities for years. Pride is our historical community response to fighting injustice. There are no Prides this year, we need to keep visible and use our passion and energy for equality in other ways, to ensure our voices are heard and our lives and rights are respected.
As most of you know, the government is currently looking at implementing the reforms to the Gender Recognition Act, which is coming under huge pressure from anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ groups to roll back equality. This campaigning is full of misinformation, smears and lies.
A lovely human has created this very useful website called ‘Dear Liz’ to help the trans community and our lovely allies. A guide to write a letter to her and your own MP. Letters really count, really really count. MP’s and parliament take notice of them and their contents, Our enemies know and understand this only to well. So we need to write. To make the call for fairness and equality, to demand our communities are heard and full equality is extended to our Trans communities across the UK.
The website has all you need to help us, and our friends and supporters to make sure our views are heard by the people, departments and ministers making decisions about our communities future and our very lives. It has everything you need, from templates, to addresses and questions and answers to help organise a letter writing and media campaign.
All this will be received by Liz Truss, the UK Minister for Women and Equalities, with the aim of informing the current government about the serious issues that have arisen and potential loss of rights to trans people, pertaining to the proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act in the UK.
From the bottom of my heart, I am asking you to spend a moment having a look at the website and then asking everyone you know to do the same. Please write a letter to Lizz and your local MP and share as much as possible. There are templates available so it won’t take too much of your time. If you can’t write and post you could simply email: You can find out who your MP is here if you don’t know with their contact details etc.
If you feel that trans equality and rights has nothing to do with you, do spend a minute to check what is happening worldwide. Patriarchal lobbying groups always start with Trans rights and then one by one move up the ladder of our community. They will not stop until the entire LGBTQ+ community has no rights at all.
We have come a long way, learning about the true meaning of equality and community as we have advanced step by painful step. We know that communities who work together are stronger, we know that equality only means anything when it’s extended to everyone, we also know those who wish us harm do not rest and the forces of prejudge and bigotry are asserting themselves.
We need you to write a letter. Its not a huge ask. Please support this cause now.
And remember:
You don’t have to be a woman to be a feminist. You don’t have to be LGBTQ+ to fight for equality and human rights.
You don’t have to be black to fight against racism. You don’t have to be disabled to fight for accessibility in this world.
You just need to be a kind human that would rather live in a world where everyone is equal.
If not for you, do it for the future generations.
Stand up and say no to discrimination. No to segregation of minorities.
Yes to equality.
For all.
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