We are committed to advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and promoting, protecting and realising the rights of every LGBTI person in Scotland.
Our current work to improve the lives of LGBTI people includes:
- reform of the Gender Recognition Act
- over £3 million funding (2021 to 2024) to organisations working to advance LGBTI equality
- centrally funding Gender Identity Service improvements until late 2024
- establishing the Ending Conversion Practices Expert Advisory Group to advise on legislative and non-legislative measures to end conversion practices
- a programme of work to improve the rights and wellbeing of non-binary people, informed by the Non-Binary Working Group
- continuing the development of a new Human Rights Bill, which will, as far as possible within devolved competence, include provision to ensure equal access for everyone to the substantive rights contained in the Bill, including LGBTI people
- continuing to use the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) Rainbow Index as a benchmark
Actions
We:
- will take action to end conversion practices in Scotland, covering both sexual orientation and gender identity, and will introduce legislation to the Scottish Parliament by the end of 2023 that will be as comprehensive as possible within our devolved competence
- have accepted the majority of the Working Group on Non-Binary Equality’s recommendations, either in full, or, in cases where the recommendation is agreed in principle, but not to the full extent suggested by the group, partially
- committed to develop an action plan by spring 2023 to improve equality and wellbeing for non-binary people, based on the above agreed recommendations
- provide funding to LGBTI organisations to enable them to take forward a range of programmes and activities to advance equality and tackle discrimination
- established and funded organisations dedicated to stopping LGBTI-related bullying and discrimination
- have committed to publishing a new hate crime strategy later in 2022, refreshing our approach to tackling hate crime, including by addressing the issues of greatest concern to LGBTI communities
- published non-statutory non-statutory guidance for schools on supporting transgender pupils
- were the first country to embed LGBT-inclusive education across the curriculum
Background
We developed much of our current LGBTI policy around the Equality Act 2010, which makes it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of certain protected characteristics including:
- sexual orientation, including how people express this such as through appearance or the places they visit
- gender reassignment, where a person is proposing to undergo, is undergoing, or has undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of reassigning the person’s sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex
We make equality considerations part of our everyday work. Find out more about mainstreaming equality.
Bills and legislation
We introduced:
- the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 which provides for consolidating, modernising and extending existing hate crime legislation, ensuring it is fit for 21st century Scotland
- the Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2020 which received Royal Assent on 28 July 2020 meaning that all couples in Scotland have the same choices should they decide they want a legally recognised relationship
- the Historical Sexual Offences (Pardons and Disregards) (Scotland) Act 2018 which retroactively pardoned men previously convicted of same-sex activity under obsolete laws which have now been repealed
- the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014
- the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, which eliminated sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination from sexual offences law
- the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007, which extended the law on adoption to allow same-sex couples to adopt jointly
Contact
Email: lgbtipolicy@gov.scot – LGBTI Equality Policy Team
ceu@gov.scot – Central Enquiry Unit
Telephone: 0300 244 4000 – Central Enquiry Unit
Post:
Scottish Government
Equality and Inclusion Division
Directorate for Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ