Why is the media inaccurately reporting on the Gender Recognition Act?
In recent years there has been a notable increase of hate crimes in the UK. Home Office statistics noted in a 2016–17 report that one of the biggest increases was the amount of transphobic hate crime. Stonewall found that last year 41% of trans people suffered a hate crime, with that figure going up to 53% for trans youth aged 18–24. Worryingly a YouGov study suggested that 79% of trans people did not report the crimes due to a fear of further discrimination.
I believe a big part of the rising transphobic attitudes in this country can be attributed to how the media reports on trans issues. It is entirely possible that it is only through the news that some people will learn about trans people, highlighting the importance and responsibility of positive representation. The unfortunate reality is that a lot of British media is being actively hostile towards transgender equality and it’s hard to understand why.
The false claim that reforming the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) to make life easier for trans people is an imminent threat to cis women’s rights has become a mainstay of the right-wing press over the past year. On closer inspection it’s clear that the GRA doesn’t impact upon which spaces trans people use and reforming the act…
