Liz Truss faces criticism for failing to set up new LGBT + advisory board

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Equality Minister Liz Truss faces criticism for failing to set up a new LGBT advisory board – nearly nine months after disbanding the one she had clashed with over ‘fundamental disagreements “.

Anneliese Dodds, shadow Minister for Equality, told The Independent that the lack of progress demonstrates “everything you need to know about this government’s commitment to tackle the issues facing LGBT + people.”

The advisory group – set up under the administration of former Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018 – was designed to hold ministers to account on the wish to improve the lives of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people in Great Britain. Brittany.

But it was dissolved in April 2021 by Ms Truss after a series of members resigned. One accused government ministers of creating a “hostile environment” for LGBT people while others criticized the repeated delays in banning so-called “conversion therapy”.

Ms Truss, who still holds the equality dossier alongside her new post as Foreign Secretary in Boris Johnson’s government, then admitted to MPs that there were “fundamental disagreements”, including over the issue of self-identification of trans people.

At the time of the panel’s disbandment – nine months ago – No.10 and Ms Truss pledged to create a ‘replacement’ panel in due course.

And in May last year, the Equality Minister also said the government would “shortly be posting an expression of interest” for the recruitment of a new LGBT advisory committee. But in the time that has passed, no plan has been publicly disclosed.

Jayne Ozanne, a former panel member, told The Independent: “There is unfortunately a whole pattern of this Secretary of State promising things for the LGBT + community and then not delivering on time. Hopefully this is the year that everything changes.

A second disbanded panel member, Professor Catherine Meads, said she was “disappointed” and pointed out that a new panel could have helped work on “several things”, including the ongoing consultation for a legislative ban on “conversion therapy”.

“However, there is the Safe to be Me international conference this summer and I haven’t really seen any progress on LGBT issues recently,” she added.

“For example, my field is health, and almost two years after the start of a pandemic, we still do not have data on Covid in people belonging to sexual or gender minorities from the ONS government. [Office for National Statistics] or the NHS. Why is that?”

Paul Martin, another former panel member and CEO of the LGBT Foundation, told The Independent: “Since the dissolution of the government’s LGBT Advisory Committee in April 2021, we are disappointed that little progress has been made. made to establish a new one a year later.

“Recent developments for LGBTQ + people show that we are slowly moving in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go for LGBTQ + communities.”

He added: “As a former member of the LGBT + panel, it is clear that the government needs an advisory panel of specialists and experts who can advise and support them to ensure that the needs of communities LGBTQ + are clearly heard, and contribute to policy development.

“We urge the government to confirm its intention to re-establish an LGBTQ + advisory committee, update the LGBTQ + action plan and provide a firm timeline for these.”

Ms Dodds, fictitious Labor Party secretary for equality and party chairwoman, added: ‘Failure to come up with replacement plans tells you everything you need to know about this government’s commitment to tackle the issues facing LGBT + people and his willingness to take advice from those who better understand them. Liz Truss promised to act on this, and once again, this government is breaking its promises. “

A government spokesperson for equality did not provide an update on the replacement panel, but said: “The government is committed to promoting and achieving equality for LGBT people in the country and abroad.

“Over the past year, we have taken steps to improve the lives of LGBT people, including launching our proposals to ban conversion therapy and modernizing the gender recognition process. Later this year, we will also be hosting the UK’s first global LGBT conference, Safe to Be Me: A Global Equality Conference.

“The government continues to draw on the expertise and experience of the newly created roles of Special Envoy for LGBT Rights, Lord Herbert of the South Downs, and LGBT Affairs Champion, Iain Anderson, as well as Dr Brady, the National LGBT Health Advisor. “

Tory MP Crispin Blunt said he was “not personally committed to the existence of an advisory group”, saying he had “good relations” with Lord Herbert, Mr Anderson and Dr Brady, which he said were “a mark of the government’s renewed ambition to take a decisive stand on LGBT + rights and almost certainly have a lot more leverage in terms of policy change and internal oversight than a relatively anonymous panel” .

However, he added that “the proof of the pudding will be in the eating” and said their first major hurdle will be getting a “complete ban on conversion therapy”.

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