Preston votes to fly the transgender flag

.

The authority has declared its wholehearted support for gender recognition and hopes to become a trailblazer for others councils to follow.

A motion to petition the Government for "substantial reforms" to the Gender Recognition Act 2004 received unanimous support from council members.

They also voted to look at creating a non-gender bathroom in the Town Hall, organise a city even to celebrate Transgender Awareness Week and fly the "Trans Flag" on the council's headquarters.

"This is a big step forward for Preston," said Coun Jade Morgan, who proposed the motion in partnership with non-binary member Coun Phoenix Adair.

"I must admit I had a few reservations when we put it in, but the amount of support we got was excellent.

"It can be a bit of a taboo subject for some who say things like trans-women are not real, trans-men are not real and non-binary is not valid. We feel that shouldn't be the case and we should support everyone, however they decide to identify."

The notice of motion called on the council to petition local MPs to push the Government for a "meaningful reform of the law by liaising further with LGBTQ+ individuals, activists and organisations in order to fully communicate what changes are needed to update the legal transition process and remove barriers facing those who are transgender/non-binary and/or wish to transition."

Councillors voted for members to be asked to take trans and non-binary awareness training to promote inclusion and equality.

The council is to "look at the viability of having a designated accessible non-gender bathroom within the Town Hall, available to be used by anyone regardless of gender and encourage other organisations to do likewise."

Where possible council documentation and application forms that have sections asking for a person's gender should have gender neutral titles "as some individuals may not wish to be referred to by gendered titles such as Mr, Mrs, Ms and Miss."

Councillors and staff will be able to use pronouns on their ID cards.

And the authority will look into celebrating Transgender Awareness Week in November and, each year, fly the Trans flag above the Town Hall to show the council's support.

"In terms of the bathroom, it was about having somewhere where anyone could feel comfortable and safe.

"Some people might not feel comfortable using the 'ladies' or the 'gents,' and there are others who might not feel comfortable using a non-gender bathroom. It's about having that choice.

"Overall we as a council can't make big changes, they are for central government. But we can make small changes and we believe these are a step in the right direction."

The move comes less than three months after city Lib-Dem Councillor Phoenix Adair changed their name by deed poll from Daniel Gregg to reflect their status as non-binary.

Coun Adair announced they would no longer be identified solely as male and called on Town Hall bosses to identify genderless toilets, to ensure all employees undergo trans-awareness training and to commit the authority to marking transgender awareness week.

Thanks for reading. If you value the work our professional journalists do, trying to keep you informed of what is happening in your area, then please consider subscribing to our unrivalled online service. Try us today by clicking here