This council recognises:-
· There should be no conflict between improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people and improving anyone else’s lives. Any attempt to suggest there must be a conflict between for instance women’s rights and LGBTQ+ people’s rights is false.
· LGBTQ+ people are facing rising levels of discrimination and hate crime. We should all be working together to eliminate all discrimination and hate crime.
· Due to the systemic oppression they face LGBTQ+ people can often face significantly worse outcomes when it comes to healthcare, education, housing and work.
· LGBTQ+ people have been part of Stockport for as long as it has existed. They are our family, our friends, our coworkers and members of our communities.
· That in the most recent iteration of the Safer Stockport Partnership there is a commitment to identify and work to eliminate the causes of hate crime.
· The council has already taken actions to support Stockport’s LGBTQ+ community such as previously passing a motion condemning conversion therapy, supporting its own staff’s LGBTQ+ network and currently funds Stockport’s LGBTQ+ Network known as the RESPECT Network.
This council calls on the government to:
· Fully ban all forms of conversion therapy relating to gender and sexual orientation.
· Add a gender-neutral option on all forms of official documentation such as passports and remove the requirement for gender markers on such documentation.
· Produce and fully fund a robust, community led and well researched plan to identify and eliminate the causes of discrimination and hate crime.
· Improve LGBTQ+ people’s access to official documentation, healthcare, education, housing, government services and work.
This council resolves to:
· Provide quarterly updates, to the council and relevant stakeholders, on the progress of the Safer Stockport Partnership’s aim to identify and work to eliminate the causes of hate crime.
· Fully progress its membership of Stonewall’s Diversity scheme. Or a similar scheme that provides independent, external accreditation.
· Encourage Stockport’s schools and colleges to sign up to programmes, such as those provided by The Proud Trust, aimed at improving LGBTQ+ students experience during education.
· Encourage more Stockport GP’s to sign up to the Pride in Practice initiative offered by the LGBT Foundation which works to improve the experiences of LGBTQ+ people accessing primary care services.
· When creating and altering the council’s constitution, policies and documentation to, where appropriate, use gender neutral language.
· Offer help and advice to Stockport’s LGBTQ+ groups to access funding and support to help with the good work they do.
· Encourage councillors and council employees to, when they are able to, attend LGBTQ+ events and initiatives in Stockport.
· Encourage council employees to make use of the Employee Volunteering Policy, using a proportion of their paid time to volunteer with local Stockport groups doing good work, including for the LGBTQ+ community.
Moved by: Councillor Dan Oliver
Seconded by: Councillor Rosemary Barratt
Minutes:
In accordance with the provisions of Council Meeting Procedure Rule 14.7 (Alteration of Motion) at the request of the mover of the motion the Council Meeting gave its consent to the alteration of the motion as tabled to incorporate an alteration which had been published and circulated in advance of the meeting.
RESOLVED – (51 for, 4 against, 3 abstentions) This council recognises:-
? LGBTQ+ people have been part of Stockport for as long as it has existed. They are our family, our friends, our coworkers and members of our communities.
? There should be no conflict between improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people and improving anyone else’s lives. Any attempt to suggest there must be a conflict between for instance women’s rights and LGBTQ+ people’s rights is false.
? That improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people contributes to building a more inclusive, fair, and supportive society for everyone. Advancing equality, acceptance and inclusion for one group should strengthen the foundations of equality for all.
? LGBTQ+ people are facing rising levels of discrimination and hate crime. We should all be working together to eliminate all discrimination and hate crime.
? That, according to official statistics, between March 2021 and March 2022, sexual orientation hate crimes rose by 41%, and transgender identity hate crimes increased by 56%. More recent official figures, ending March 2024, show that there has been a 4% reduction in sexual orientation hate crimes and a 5% reduction in transgender identity hate crimes. Whilst this decline is welcome, the overall number of sexual orientation and transgender identity hate crimes in 2023/24 remains significantly high at 29,000, compared to 4,500 in 2012/13. As such, we should be working together, particularly through the Safer Stockport Partnership, to eliminate all hate crime.
? Due to the systemic oppression they face LGBTQ+ people can often face significantly worse outcomes when it comes to healthcare, education, housing and work.
? That, in particular, transgender people within our communities face severe challenges in accessing healthcare, work and education opportunities
? LGBTQ+ people have been part of Stockport for as long as it has existed. They are our family, our friends, our coworkers and members of our communities.
? That in the most recent iteration of the Safer Stockport Partnership there is a commitment to identify and work to eliminate the causes of hate crime.
? That the council has already taken actions to support Stockport’s LGBTQ+ community such as previously passing a motion condemning conversion therapy, supporting its own staff’s LGBTQ+ network and currently funds Stockport’s LGBTQ+ Network known as the RESPECT Network.
This council calls on the government to:
? Fully ban all forms of conversion therapy relating to gender and sexual orientation.
? Fully enact its manifesto commitment to implement a comprehensive ban on conversion therapy, including protections for transgender individuals, and reform the Gender Recognition Act to simplify the process for transgender people to obtain legal recognition of their gender.
? Add a gender-neutral option on all forms of official documentation such as passports and remove the requirement for gender markers on such documentation.
? Produce and fully fund a robust, community led and well researched plan to identify and eliminate the causes of discrimination and hate crime.
? Improve LGBTQ+ people’s access to official documentation, healthcare, education, housing, government services and work.
This council resolves to:
? Provide quarterly updates, to the council and relevant stakeholders, on the progress of the Safer Stockport Partnership’s aim to identify and work to eliminate the causes of hate crime.
? Fully progress its membership of Stonewall’s Diversity scheme. Or a similar scheme that provides independent, external accreditation.
? Encourage Stockport’s schools and colleges to sign up to programmes, such as those provided by The Proud Trust, aimed at improving LGBTQ+ students experience during education.
? Encourage more Stockport GP’s to sign up to the Pride in Practice initiative offered by the LGBT Foundation which works to improve the experiences of LGBTQ+ people accessing primary care services.
? When creating and altering the council’s constitution, policies and documentation to, where appropriate, use gender neutral language.
? Offer help and advice to Stockport’s LGBTQ+ groups to access funding and support to help with the good work they do.
? Encourage councillors and council employees to, when they are able to, attend LGBTQ+ events and initiatives in Stockport.
? Encourage council employees to make use of the Employee Volunteering Policy, using a proportion of their paid time to volunteer with local Stockport groups doing good work, including for the LGBTQ+ community.
? Continue to support the LGBTQ+ community in Stockport asking the existing cross-party Inequalities Working Group to Fully consider the needs of all those within the LGBTQ+ community that face discrimination. Whilst we would not want to be prescriptive in the scope of issues addressed, we would like to ensure particular attention is given to:
o The ability of the LGBTQ+ community, especially transpeople, to access adequate support for their physical and mental healthcare and how the council can provide practical support.
o The issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community due to discrimination and bullying within educational settings and consider practical solutions to protect them from harm.
? Identifies how the council and its trusted partners can meaningfully embed diversity, equity and inclusion across all its work and policies.
? Offers help and advice to Stockport’s LGBTQ+ groups to access funding and support to help with the good work they do.
? Considers the requirements for progress reports to include existing initiatives such as the Safer Stockport Partnership’s aim to identify and eliminate the causes of hate crime.
? Reports back to the council with its recommendations for service improvement by July 2025 and at quarterly intervals thereafter.
Supporting documents: