Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department are taking to help ensure members of the LGBTQ community in Heywood and Middleton North constituency feel represented.

It is crucial that LGBT+ people in all areas of Britain are safe, included and protected from discrimination. To achieve this we must end the recent politics of division. Work is continuing to progress the commitments set out in the Government’s manifesto, advancing the rights and protections afforded to LGBT+ people.

These include:

• delivering a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices, and having published our draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny. The Government will ensure its approach provides protection from these abusive practices while preserving the freedom for people to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity, and also respecting the important roles of those supporting them.
• Continuing to work with the Home Office to deliver our commitment to equalise all existing strands of hate crime to make them aggravated offences.
• working with the Department of Health and Social Care to improve services for LGBT+ people. This includes implementing the recommendations of the Cass Review and reviewing adult gender identity services to ensure that all trans people receive appropriate and high-quality care.
• continuing our work with our international and European allies to advance LGBT+ rights and reinforce our position as a global leader on Human Rights once again.

We work alongside a range of stakeholders, including those based in the North West such as the LGBT Foundation and the Proud Trust. It is very important to this Government that local voices are heard and included in national policy development.