Legal Defence Fund for Transgender Lives

That’s a strand of work Good Law Project is especially proud of. Under it we are challenging new rules to deport those who lose their jobs and become homeless, working up litigation to protect children in care and challenging the Home Office’s hopeless compensation scheme for the victims of Windrush - and many others.

On most of these issues there is a kind of progressive consensus. But not on the rights and dignities of the trans community. If you are trans your very existence is apparently for up grabs.

The data also shows you will face daily injustice, discrimination and violence. In Britain, today. In the streets, at work, in public life and in healthcare. And you will find yourself under attack in the media from a peculiar astro-turfed coalition funded, in part, by investment from anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-assisted dying US hate groups. And often abandoned by the progressive media.

In the last few years we’ve seen attempts to throw out school guidance aimed at preventing LGBT+ hate crime, an employment tribunal case brought by a provocateur arguing for her right to misgender, a legal challenge to stop trans women being able to run for office in all-women shortlists, and another to close the door to treatment that is commonplace around the world. Those who want to roll back the rights of trans and non binary people are turning to litigation to do so. You can view some of the recent legal challenges here.

It’s time to push back. We at Good Law Project want to do what we can to help trans and non-binary people live their lives free from inequality. So we are launching a Legal Defence Fund for Transgender Lives to work in partnership with others where litigation can protect and defend the rights of transgender people to live as themselves.

Our first case challenges NHS England over its persistent breaches of the law requiring young people with gender dysphoria to be seen within 18 weeks. Whatever you think about the treatment regime it can't be right that they face lengthy waiting lists - on some reports up to four years - for a first appointment. Children are losing the opportunity to be seen within a window in which they can secure effective treatment and so are, in practice, being denied access to treatments which are correlated with reduced suicide risk.

All of the costs to date have been borne by Good Law Project - as we generally bear the costs of developing litigation in this strand - and they will not be recouped from this fund. Any future costs, however, will be funded from the pot. We will also use the fund to fund other legal action that advances the basic rights and dignities of the trans community. Enough is enough.

From the President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden, to companies like Lloyds Banking Group and Unilever, more and more people are stepping up to defend the rights of trans and non-binary people. We want to play our part and we hope that you’ll join us.

Details:

Good Law Project uses litigation to achieve change. Funds raised through this campaign will go towards litigation that protects and defends the rights of trans and non binary people, including our case to ensure NHS England meets its statutory obligation to young people.

When selecting other litigation, Good Law Project will consult with organisations working with the transgender community. In common with our general practice we will retain ten percent of the fund to help cover our running costs.