Life

UK government to unveil new LGBTQ+ plan including improved gender services

By Conor Clark

22nd March 2022

Annika Haas via Flickr

The UK government is set to reveal a new strategy for LGBTQ+ rights, including the prioritisation of improving NHS gender services.

It is set to cover an array of other issues such as IVF, sex work and homelessness, The I newspaper reported.

Equalities Minister Mike Freer is set to announce the measures in April before they are fully launched at the government’s LGBTQ+ conference later in the year.

“The big part of the portfolio that Liz [Truss] has asked me to do is […] to work across government,” he explained to the newspaper.

“Over the next few weeks, we’ll be talking about a major domestic piece of work, which covers things like homelessness and sex work, HIV, sexual health IVF.”

The improvement of NHS gender services will be a priority of the government, according to Minister Freer.

2020’s Cass Review highlighted that current services for transgender children across the UK are in dire need of improvement.

It stated that these services need to be brought to the “same standards of clinical care, assessment and treatment” as any other in the country.

The current Tory government has frequently come under fire for failing to progress LGBTQ+ rights, especially as little movement has been made on commitments like banning so-called ‘conversion therapy’ and reforming the Gender Recognition Act.

Liz Truss, who works as both the Foreign Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, blamed this on there being “a new government in place under the leadership of Boris Johnson.”

“That was set out by the previous administration,” she further stated. “I have laid out what our priorities are.”

The government’s LGBTQ+ conference, Safe to Be Me, will take place in London in June 2022.