Alexa Moore, Policy Campaigns and Communications Manager at The Rainbow Project, said, “All of our young people are entitled to and should enjoy the best possible education that we can offer them – including LGBT pupils. The Minister’s removal of this guidance at the very start of the school term hasn’t been good for pupils, for teachers, or for parents. We urge him to reinstate the guidance and meaningfully engage with the young people affected by his decisions.”

The joint statement references the Department’s own research published in 2017 after it emerged this morning that the Department has removed the publication from its website. The report showed that, at the time, around two thirds of LGBT pupils did not feel safe and supported in school, and that trans pupils faced key issues addressed in the guidance including access to toilets, flexible uniform policies, and appropriate use of name and pronouns.

Susan Neill, vice-chair of NIC-ICTU’s Education Group, which “represents thousands of dedicated education workers from teachers to support staff,” expressed that they are “gravely concerned that this important guidance has been withdrawn and would ask that the Minister immediately publish the legal basis for the withdrawal.”

Susan added, “Given the legal uncertainty as to how the Supreme Court judgement applies to Northern Irelands devolved institutions, we believe that this is at best a premature move on the part of a Minister who would be better to focus on delivering educational outcomes for every child in every school across Northern Ireland. We are also concerned about the absence of discussion or consultation with stakeholders, and we urge the NI Assembly Education Committee to seek the legal basis for the Minister’s decision, and to seek the restoration of the guidance to the EA website.”

The detailed guidance, which placed no legal obligations on schools, explored issues including appropriate use of name and pronouns, access to facilities, and safeguarding considerations in depth. It has been replaced by a page long ‘Policy Statement’ which outlines the Department’s legal position but provides little advice to teachers for supporting young people.

Cohen Taylor, Chairperson of the NI Youth Forum has said, ”In its most recent report, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child made it clear that our government must act to protect LGBTQIA+ young people. The NI Youth Forum is committed to securing a Bill of Rights that guarantees safety, equality and dignity for every young person, including LGBTQIA+ youth. Restoring the existing guidance on supporting transgender and gender diverse young people is a necessary step towards that goal.”

Read the full statement below:

We the undersigned LGBTQIA+, human rights organisations and education unions are disappointed and concerned by the Education Minister’s decision to remove guidance which provided information to schools in relation to supporting transgender and gender diverse pupils.

Transgender young people in school are entitled to compassion, acceptance and support. The removal of guidance for supporting these young people, with no replacement guidance, is a step back for those young people struggling in school, as well as their parents and teachers seeking to support them.

The previous guidance from the Education Authority was non-statutory and non-binding, meaning schools already had scope to support pupils in a manner that suited the individual school. It is vital that schools are an inclusive, welcoming and empowering space for all pupils. This decision, taken without any meaningful consultation with the children and young people it will impact upon, is contrary to that goal.

The Department’s own 2017 research identified that appropriate access to toilets, changing facilities, and flexibility with uniform policies were key issues trans young people faced, and the key issues that caused over half of LGBT pupils to not feel supported in schools.

The Minister has clearly misunderstood that to consider children’s best interests is to consider the best interests of each individual child, including children and young people who are developing their own understanding of their identity. We are in no doubt that his decision will have direct consequences for pupils. It will affect their ability to fully participate in school life, to thrive in their educational environment, and will have knock-on impacts on other services including CAMHS.

The Minister has a responsibility to prioritise the education and wellbeing of all pupils over stoking political culture wars. We call on him to reinstate this guidance and to meaningfully engage with the young people, parents and school staff this directly affects.

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This event, which has been going on for many years without issue, has garnered attention this year due to a small protest held outside the venue, causing both the performers and families attending the event to require PSNI support leaving the premises. We were extremely disappointed to see the Communities Minister stoking culture wars rather than defending the rights of LGBTQIA+ communities to free expression and participation in public life.

Libraries NI should be a “welcoming and inclusive place” for all communities, including those from the LGBTQIA+ community. Attempts to reduce access to libraries for a certain section of our community are deeply troubling, and sends a message that the mere presence of LGBTQIA+ people, culture and expression in these spaces is unwelcome.

Use our email tool below to send a clear message to the Communities Minister: Don’t be a Drag, Support our Queens! 

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Despite some sweeping statements to the contrary, this week’s Judgement of the Supreme Court was not a ruling on the definition of a woman or of ‘sex’. Indeed, paragraph 2 of the judgement states that “It is not the role of the court to adjudicate on the arguments in the public domain on the meaning of gender or sex, nor is it to define the meaning of the word ‘woman’ other than when it is used in the provisions of the Equality Act 2010.”

Trans people, like everyone else, retain their rights under equality law in Northern Ireland to not be harassed and discriminated against in the provision of goods and services or in employment. They, like any other member of our society, have the right to go about their daily lives without fear of hatred and intolerance. This is the same today as it was yesterday.

We at the Rainbow Project will continue to work for a better Northern Ireland for LGBTQIA+ people and their families. We ask you to join us in urging our elected politicians to stand up for the rights of all people in Northern Ireland, and to refrain from words and actions which create further division when what is needed is respect for all communities”

– Scott Cuthbertson, CEO of The Rainbow Project

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Alexa Moore, Policy Campaigns and Communications Manager at the Rainbow Project, said, “We are extremely disappointed by the decision taken by the Executive to impose an indefinite ban on puberty blockers in Northern Ireland. We have made clear, in our meetings with Executive Ministers, that politicians should not override the expertise of frontline clinicians, young people and their families in taking the healthcare decisions that are best for them. 

“We regret that the Executive have taken the decision to ban puberty blockers when, in effect, trans young people have had little or no access to adequate healthcare in many years. This ban compounds what was an already challenging environment for families and children here in Northern Ireland. We call on the Executive to provide meaningful and urgent support to the young people who will be impacted by this decision.”

The clinical evidence for this decision has not been forthcoming, as the Executive has refused to publish any guidance it has received, but we remain concerned that evidence and circumstances for trans children and young people in Northern Ireland have not been adequately considered. The consultation on a permanent ban on puberty blockers, which was responded to by the LGBTQIA+ sector locally, had seemingly no bearing on the outcome of this decision, with local politicians being ‘bounced’ into decisions by London.

Christopher McIlwaine, Director of the Belfast Trans Resource Centre, said, “The Executive has serious questions to answer, particularly around what support is available for young people affected by this ban, and what contingency arrangements will be put in place to reduce the harm caused by this decision. 

We must see now, from the Department, a clear plan and pathway to support young people who have been accessing puberty blockers from private services, to safeguard both the physical and mental health and wellbeing of those most impacted.” 

Gender Identity Services for trans people in Northern Ireland have been in a state of disarray for the past number of years. Adolescent services have experienced staffing and funding pressures, resulting in many young people being left without support or care for several years. 

ENDS 

Notes to Editor: 

• The indefinite ban follows a series of 3-month rolling bans which were first put in place during an election period in July by the previous Conservative Government, and have been continued by the Labour Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting.
• The Executive has thus far refused to publish the advice it received informing both the temporary ban and the new indefinite ban, despite Freedom of Information requests submitted by Belfast Live [Executive Office refuses to release evidence considered by First and deputy First Ministers before puberty blocker ban]
• Gender Identity Services in Northern Ireland have been in a state of disarray for the past 5+ years. Over 1000 individuals sit on the waiting list for adult services, some of whom have been waiting for 7 years, and the youth Gender Identity Service (Knowing Our Identity, or KOI) has a waiting list of over two years. 

For any further comment or media requests, please contact Alexa Moore, Policy Campaigns and Communications Manager at the Rainbow Project, at: 

079 3354 5164 / alexa@rainbow-project.org

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The quilts, which formed part of ‘the Names Project’, were part of the world’s largest community folk art project, with panels being made to memorialise and celebrate the lives of those lost to AIDS-related complications.

Scott Cuthbertson, CEO of the Rainbow Project, said: “This powerful display of quilts memorialising members of the community lost to AIDS-related complications is an important reminder of how far we have come in tackling HIV and AIDS, as well as how far we need to go. Contracting HIV is no longer a death sentence, and those living with HIV can lead happy and healthy lives with effective treatments and support. However, whilst we are living in a time where HIV is a long term but manageable condition, stigma remains an issue, and we need to see a whole society approach to tackling stigma, encouraging testing and eliminating new transmissions in Northern Ireland”

In advance of the event, which takes place tomorrow (Saturday 30^th November) from 2 – 5pm in the MAC Belfast, the Rainbow Project has been able to reunite one of the quilts with its maker: the eldest daughter of Ruth Laffin, who died in 1991 at the age of 36.

Due to the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS at her time of death, the quilt was anonymously dedicated ‘To Mummy,’ and was made from her duvet cover, her dress and her children’s duvet cover. Ruth’s five children wrote their names and a message on the underside of red hearts, which were cut from her dress and stitched to the quilt.

Leo Lardie, the Rainbow Project’s Sexual Health Officer, said: “It was so poignant and unexpected that our exhibition has already reunited someone with their mother’s quilt more than three decades after it was made. Every one of these quilts meant something to both an individual and the community around them; we’re privileged to be able to share those memories with LGBTQIA+ people and their allies today.”

For media requests, please contact Alexa Moore, Policy, Campaigns and Communications Manager at the Rainbow Project, at:

+ 44 79 3354 5164

alexa@rainbow-project.org

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“We are deeply concerned to hear the reports of a security incident in Portrush last night where two suspicious objects were allegedly wrapped in a pride flag. Our thoughts are with all those caught up in this incident.

We understand the alarm this incident will cause to LGBTQIA+ communities in Northern Ireland, and will be working to understand what has happened by liaising with the relevant authorities.

At a time when anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crime in Northern Ireland is at its highest ever recorded level, we are committed to working with partners and communities to build trust, understanding and respect. Help and support are available should anyone require it, more information is on our website www.rainbow-project.org.

There is no place for anti-LGBTQIA+ hatred in Northern Ireland.”

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