Understand the LGBTQIA+ news: Evidence suggests rising cases of 'gender policing' despite EHRC claim this will be "rare"

We hear a lot about ‘Broken Britain’, don't we? It's become a common phrase in the British lexicon.

Trains late again? Broken Britain. Are your drugs not available at the pharmacy again? Broken Britain. Water shortage hit your town in yet another heatwave? You get the picture.

But I don't believe Britain is broken; I know we just live in a country that's been under-invested in by successive governments.

The idea that Britain is broken is fuelling far-right rhetoric in the polls. If we're all feeling overwhelmed by how broken everything is, it becomes much easier for the news and politicians to blame immigrants, trans people, and the homeless for all those problems.

I refuse. Britain is a country with a society that believes in fairness, looking after its local communities, and ensuring we can all live happy, safe lives. We don't hear that, not because people don't believe that, but because dominant mainstream newspapers – whether we like to admit it they do for us to – set the way we all talk about the country.

The way you, dear QueerAF readers, showed up in our Pride month pledge drive showed me the kind of hope I need to keep reading horrible news, week in, week out, and bring it to you in an accessible format – so you can still get the information you need to fight back.

I'm incredibly grateful to every new member who signed up, helped us smash our first target and got us to just one membership away from hitting our stretch target. Thank you.

In pride,
Jamie Wareham - QueerAF Founder

Understand the LGBTQIA+ headlines and keep track of the latest queer content and perspectives. QueerAF is written by Jamie Wareham, and a different queer creative each week.

💬 This week:

• Rare and exceptional: QueerAF can exclusively reveal that the EHRC is unaware of, or unprepared to acknowledge, growing evidence of ‘gender policing’ taking place in UK public spaces. 
• SCOTUS: A significant ruling in the US Supreme Court could see Trans+ sports bans be rolled out in more US states. An important civil rights law may have also been undermined by the judgment. 
• Trans kids: There is an ongoing wave of policy attacks taking place against Trans+ children. Nancy Kelley, QueerAF member and CEO of LGBTQ+ youth charity Allsorts, explores the issues facing young Trans+ kids and what we can do to support them.

Skip the doomscrolling and support queer creatives instead. We are QueerAF – and so are you.

EHRC says 'sex questioning' will be "rare and exceptional" – but evidence suggests it's increasing already

TL;DR: The chair of the EHRC has claimed in a letter to a Labour MP that sex questioning under the updated Code of Practice will be “rare and exceptional”. Academic research and accounts of lived experience dating back more than a decade show this is not the case – and suggest it is becoming more common - by Sophie Perry