Green Councillors Win on Support for Trans Rights at Newham Council

Newham Council voted last week to pass a Green Group motion in support of the transgender community. In light of a concerning rise in transphobia, as well as high levels of discrimination and hostility experienced by trans and non-binary people across the UK, Newham Council have committed to substantial action to support the trans community. 

Green councillor Nate Higgins, who proposed the motion said: "Trans people are some of the most vulnerable and discriminated against members of society and they deserve specific attention and support, especially in this transphobic climate we're experiencing now. As a councillor, I can't eradicate transphobia - that's going to take national action that this Tory Government is shamefully refusing to take. But we can do our bit to make sure the council isn't contributing to negative experiences for trans residents and staff, and to make the most of any opportunity to empower them. I'm proud of this motion and the action it has set in motion, and I look forward to working with trans residents and the administration to ensure Newham is as safe and welcoming to trans people as it possibly can be."

Green Councillor Danny Keeling, who is the first openly non-binary councillor elected in Newham said “Our motion has come at an opportune time, with LGBT+ History Month in February and data from the Office for National Statistics highlighting that Newham has the highest proportion of trans people in England and Wales. The actions to be implemented by Newham Council will affirm that trans men and men, trans women are women and non-binary people are valid and exist.”

In their speech at Full Council, they also reflected on transphobia within the council itself and how they are often misgendered and dead-named. This motion will act as a first step to creating genuine change at Newham Council.

Despite unanimous support for the motion, Labour councillors rejected a Green amendment updating the motion, which had first been proposed in the summer of 2022. The amendment set out to honour victims of the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs in November, which occurred the day before Trans Day of Remembrance, and where two of the victims were trans. It also endorsed the Gender Recognition Reform Bill passed by the Scottish Parliament in December, and called on the Government not to block it. In addition, the amendment highlighted the Office for National Statistics data released this January which indicated that Newham has the highest proportion of trans people anywhere in England and Wales.

Nate Higgins said "Labour's decision to block the amendment is truly appalling. For them to do so without any explanation is cowardly. Trans residents deserve an explanation for why Labour blocked the motion having any recognition of the Club Q mass shooting or of Newham having the most trans residents in England and Wales, and why they opposed endorsing Gender Recognition Reform which would benefit so many. Newham Labour are constantly complaining of decisions being taken out of their hands - the hypocrisy of opposing the Gender Recognition Reform Bill is stark." 

This motion was heard at January full council following a decision by Labour councillors to block it being heard at November full council, the day after Trans Day of Remembrance. Following that meeting, Cllr Keeling wrote to the Chief Executive complaining about their experience of transphobia at Newham council. 

Nate finished: "It was the Green Party that put this motion on the agenda, and it's clear Labour would not have taken the lead on this without our work. Above all, this shows the value of having opposition councillors at Newham for the first time in over a decade, and this is just the start of our constructive work to make Newham a Greener, fairer, safer place to live."

ENDS

1. Motion 3 - ‘Supporting the Transgender Community’ with Green Group amendment https://mgov.newham.gov.uk/documents/b32330/Supplementary%20Agenda%2016th-Jan-2023%2019.00%20Council.pdf?T=9 (page 30)

NOTES

The Green Party is the main and only opposition party elected to Newham Council.

Both Nate Higgins and Danny Keeling are Green councillors for Stratford Olympic Park in Newham. Nate’s pronouns are he/him and Danny’s pronouns are they/them.

The motion has recommended that several changes to internal council procedures should be introduced, including:

• Training for councillors and officers, 
• A revision of council forms to be inclusive of trans and non-binary people, 
• Public statements to acknowledge Trans Day of Visibility and Trans Day of Remembrance
• Provision of gender-neutral toilets in all Council buildings.

Actions with a broader scope were also covered by the motion. With homelessness disproportionately affecting members of the trans community, the Council has committed to explicitly consider their needs in its homelessness and rough sleeping strategy. In addition, explicit consideration of the barriers experienced by the trans community when accessing medical care will now be made, and ways in which they can be reduced.

1. The debate on the motion (including Nate’s proposal speech) is available at https://youtu.be/VInF7fh-Ptg?t=7583 
2. A rough copy of Nate’s proposal speech is available at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O3e7yODvpB2uCzpgT6hoiX3o-34CG-3yzTPliVZEa3Y/edit