Lib Dems At Odds With Party Members Over Gender Self-ID, Poll Suggests
3 min read
A new poll suggests a split between the Liberal Democrat leadership and party members as they prepare to vote on changing gender self-identification policy.
At the party's spring conference this weekend, members are set to vote on whether to “reform the gender recognition process” by removing “the requirement for medical reports”.
Under party rules, proposals become policy if voted through by members at conference.
The motion was brought forward by women and equalities spokesperson, Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine, as part of her recently published ‘Free to be Who You Are’ policy paper, in which she consulted members on challenges faced by LGBTQ+ communities.
Currently, people seeking to change their gender on official documents like birth certificates have to apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate for legal recognition. This requires them to provide a medical report written by a doctor or psychologist specialising in gender dysphoria proving they have been diagnosed with the condition.
However, according to a YouGov survey of Lib Dem members shared with PoliticsHome, 75 per cent said the current process for obtaining a certificate is “about right” or “not demanding enough”, while 17 per cent said the process is “too demanding”.
The poll, which surveyed 584 current members and 44 former members over the last week of February, was commissioned by Liberal Voice for Women (LVW) — a group campaigning for sex-based rights within the party.
Unlike Labour and the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats have yet to release a formal statement accepting the findings of the Cass review, which highlighted a lack of evidence in treatments for young people seeking to change gender.
According to the poll, around four times as many Lib Dem members think the party should support the review than reject it – 35 per cent and 9 per cent of members respectively. Thirty-six per cent said they don't know.
Over half of respondents (54 per cent) said puberty blockers should not be available to children, compared to 25 per cent who thought they should be available.
Twenty-two per cent of members thought hormone treatment – which changes hair growth, fat and muscle distribution, for instance – should be available for children, compared with 55 per cent who said they should not.
Zoe Hollowood, chair of LVW, told PoliticsHome: “We are pleased the YouGov polling confirmed what we always believed, that the broader membership base, agree with us in supporting the Cass review, rejecting self-ID and opposing the medicalisation of children with gender distress.”
“Whatever the outcome from spring conference, our polling data makes it clear that the wider membership does not support key aspects of this LGBTQ+ motion. We wish during this time of difficulty and global uncertainty that policies addressing the cost of living and NHS crisis along with defence imperatives were prioritised,” she added.
LVW has previously clashed with Lib Dem president Mark Pack, who said the party would be “planning to have a debate on the policy that they [LVW] disagree with at spring conference” at the party’s last autumn conference.
“I hope and expect that the whole party will take that very clear opportunity to express where the overwhelming majority view is in the party,” he added.
Responding to the YouGov findings, Lib Dem MP Jardine told PoliticsHome: “Liberal Democrats have a proud history of standing up for women's rights and LGBT+ rights, to ensure everyone's safety and dignity.
“Lib Dem members attending the party's spring conference have a chance to debate policy and put forward their views. We're proud to be a democratic party.”
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