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Equality organisations welcome Scottish Government’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill
National LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex) organisations in Scotland have welcomed the Scottish Government’s Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, published today.
Scottish Trans, Equality Network, LGBT Youth Scotland, Stonewall Scotland, and LGBT Health and Wellbeing all agree that the Bill’s proposed reforms will be greatly beneficial to trans men and trans women in Scotland.
The Bill proposes reforms to the Gender Recognition Act, which since 2004 has enabled trans men and trans women to change the sex listed on their birth certificate, currently via a very complicated process.
Many trans people, as well as equality and human rights organisations, have criticised the current procedure as being slow, outdated, and unfair, and say that it falls well below international best practice for legal gender recognition.
When the UK first introduced the Gender Recognition Act in 2004, it was a world-leading piece of legislation. But in the past two decades, many countries and territories around the world have significantly improved their laws, with nine states in Europe alone ahead of Scotland in this area.
The Scottish Government has previously run two public consultations (in 2017/18 and 2019/20) on how the Gender Recognition Act should be reformed. In both of these consultations, the majority of respondents in Scotland supported the proposed reform to simplify the process, and to move to a system of statutory self-declaration.
The Scottish Government’s Bill proposes to make the following key changes:
- Move to a system whereby a trans person makes a formal legal statutory declaration confirming the sex in which they have been living for at least 3 months and their intention to continue to do so for the rest of their life, rather than having to wait until two years after they have permanently transitioned to apply.
- Introduce a 3 month ‘reflection’ period before a gender recognition certificate would be issued (meaning a trans person will have had to live in that sex for over 6 months before being able to change their birth certificate.)
- Remove the current requirement to provide a demeaning psychiatric report containing intrusive details such as what toys trans people played with as children, their sexual relationships, and how distressed they were before transitioning.
- Remove the current requirement to provide an invasive medical report describing any hormonal or surgical treatment they are planning or have undergone, or confirming they do not intend to undergo such treatment.
- Allow 16 and 17 year olds to apply for a gender recognition certificate.
The national LGBTI groups say these are very important reforms. The current requirements stigmatise trans people by linking legal recognition of who they are to a psychiatric report, and deny them their right to privacy over personal choices they have made about medical treatments. Because they cannot currently apply until two years after they have been permanently living in their transitioned sex, trans people are currently at risk of discrimination or harassment whenever they need to use their birth certificate to prove their identity.
Trans people can already change their name and sex on identity documents such as passports and driving licences, and can access a wide range of single-sex services and spaces without a gender recognition certificate. The reform will not affect this.
In their manifestos for the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections, the Scottish National Party, Scottish Labour, Scottish Greens, and Scottish Liberal Democrats all committed to reforming the Gender Recognition Act. This means 97 MSPs (75% of the total 129 MSPs) were elected on commitments to pass this Bill.
Even with the welcome positive change proposed in these reforms, there are still many further improvements to the Gender Recognition Act that LGBTI orgnaisations say could be made, to make Scotland a world leader in trans rights. For example, the reforms do not include any provisions for the legal recognition of non-binary people, which many places around the world have done successfully, including Malta and Iceland.
Scottish Trans, Equality Network, LGBT Youth Scotland, Stonewall Scotland, and LGBT Health and Wellbeing are calling for the debate on this bill to be conducted respectfully and without personal abuse. They are asking all MSPs to support this Bill as an important step forward to improving the lives of trans men and women in Scotland.
Vic Valentine, Scottish Trans Alliance Manager, said:
“We welcome the proposals in this Bill, that would see a massive improvement in how trans men and trans women in Scotland are able to be legally recognised as who they are. The current process is difficult, stressful and expensive, and it reinforces harmful stereotypes about trans people: that who we are is a mental illness, and that our choices about our bodies are not our own to choose to share with others. While the proposals fall far short of a law that would enable all trans people in Scotland to be legally recognised as who we are, this important step forward is one that we hope that all MSPs across the Chamber can support.”
Sarah, a 66 year old trans woman from Aberdeenshire (story below), said:
“These changes would mean so much to me. I am a woman. It’s who I am, to my core. It’s how I’ve lived most of my adult life, how I am seen by friends, and how I have been loved. To know for so many years that that has not been, and could not be, recognised, has been painful. I hope that these reforms will pass, so that who I really am, and not who I might have been, can finally be legally recognised.”
Amy Winter, Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said:
“Myself and other trans including non-binary young people have been waiting on this moment for a long time and are looking forward to the changes we hope this bill will make for our future. As much as I am excited about the proposed changes I would be lying if I said I was 100% happy with everything. I am still saddened by the fact that those of us who are non-binary have not been included. That being said I am in full support of this bill and think it is a massive step in the right direction for trans rights in Scotland.”
Patricia, a 25 year old trans woman from Edinburgh (story below), said:
“Despite what others might say, I am a woman. As such, all of my identity documents, including my passport and driver’s licence, have an ‘F’ printed on them. I’ve been transitioning for almost half a decade now, and in everyday situations, whether out in public or at work, people treat me as a woman.
“I just want to live my life in peace, and for my privacy to be respected. Reforming the Gender Recognition Act will make a real difference to transgender people’s lives and ensure that, unlike me, future applicants won’t have to put up with years of having a birth certificate that doesn’t reflect who they are.”
Tim Hopkins, Equality Network Director, said:
“We are united in calling for respectful debate. Social media is now often a horrible place for trans people, because of the unrelenting abuse. Many others, including MSPs, and in particular women and those on both sides of this debate, experience that abuse too. We should all speak out about the unacceptability of personalised abuse or threats in political debate in Scotland.”
Mhairi Crawford, LGBT Youth Scotland Chief Executive, said:
“We welcome this significant step on a long journey improving trans people’s access to their rights. Young people tell us that this is particularly important as they move between education institutions, out of the family home, or start work and significantly benefit from consistent gender markers across their documentation. Positively this will be extended to 16 and 17-year-olds, in keeping with the rights and responsibilities afforded to this age group in other aspects of their lives. They would also like to see a process put in place for those under 16 to be able to access a GRC and we call for this addition.”
Colin Macfarlane, Stonewall Scotland and Northern Ireland Director, said:
“It has been six years since the Scottish Government pledged to make this reform. In that time we have had two major public consultations, endless discussion about trans people rather than with trans people about their lives along with daily misinformation about what these proposals will actually do. Recent polling suggests a majority of Scots are in favour of the proposed changes. It is now time to get on with the process of legislative scrutiny, which should be done in a respectful way based on evidence and fact. We look forward to working with MSPs across all parties to ensure the Bill passes so that trans people can be free to be themselves.”
Maruska Greenwood, LGBT Health and Wellbeing Chief Executive, said:
“Through our helpline, trans-specific and wider support programmes we see on a daily basis the hugely negative impact the divisive public debate is having on trans adults in Scotland. Whilst many in society have strong views on these issues, there is widespread recognition of the need to reform the Gender Recognition Act. We call for a balanced and measured dialogue in which we all work to ensure that the voices, needs and experiences of trans people can be respectfully listened to.”
Intersex-Inclusive Flag
Thank you for submitting your answers, Intersex Equality Rights are delighted to share with you Valentino Vecchietti's Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag 2021.
If you are yet to complete the feedback form, then you can access it by clicking here
From Intersex Equality Rights:
Background information - the following is not an exhaustive list, it is just our understanding of the iterations of the flag up until this point in time. If we have made any omissions in information we welcome the opportunity to learn. Please know that the sole intention in making this iteration of the flag was to create intersex inclusion:
In 2013 Morgan Carpenter of Intersex Human Rights Australia designed the intersex flag.
(Please note in our original post on IG, we mistakenly attributed the creation of this flag to both Morgan and Tony Briffa, but we have since learned that Morgan Carpenter is the sole creator of this flag. Thanks).
In 2017 under the leadership of American civil rights activist Amber Hikes, Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs developed the rainbow flag to incorporate black and brown stripes to include black, brown, and people of colour.
Building on that in 2018 Daniel Quasar redesigned the flag to include trans people, creating the Pride Progress flag.
In 2021, Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights adapted the Pride Progress flag design to incorporate the intersex flag, creating this Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag 2021.
Since we posted this flag on our Instagram page: @intersex_equality_rights_uk @Valentino_Vecchietti and on Twitter: @WeAreIERUK @ValentinoInter - intersex people and allies from all over the globe have said it is bringing them joy to see intersex inclusion in the Pride Progress flag.
We are sharing the graphic freely with everyone.
Equality Organisations welcome Scottish Government draft bill to reform the Gender Recognition Act
Leading LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex) organisations in Scotland have welcomed the Scottish Government’s draft Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, published today. The draft bill is out for public consultation until 17 March 2020.
According to Scottish Trans Alliance, Equality Network, LGBT Youth Scotland, Stonewall Scotland and LGBT Health and Wellbeing, the draft bill is a step in the right direction towards greater equality for transgender people in Scotland.
The Scottish Government previously ran a four month consultation in 2018 on how the Gender Recognition Act, which dates from 2004, could be improved. They received over 15,500 consultation responses. Two-thirds (65%) of Scottish respondents agreed with the proposed reform to a statutory declaration system.
The Scottish Government draft bill aims to simplify how transgender people change the sex on their birth certificates. The key changes are to:
- Move to a system whereby a trans person makes a formal legal statutory declaration confirming the sex in which they have been living for at least 3 months and their intention to continue to do so for the rest of their life.
- Introduce a 3 month ‘reflection’ period before a gender recognition certificate would be issued, meaning a trans person will have had to live in that sex for over 6 months before being able to change their birth certificate.
- Remove the current requirement to provide a demeaning psychiatric report containing intrusive details such as what toys trans people played with as children, their sexual relationships and how distressed they were before transitioning.
- Remove the current requirement to provide an invasive medical report describing any hormonal or surgical treatment they are planning or have undergone, or confirming they do not intend to undergo such treatment.
- Allow 16 and 17 year olds to apply for a gender recognition certificate.
Passports, driving licences, medical records and employment records are already changed by self-declaration when a person starts transitioning. The gender recognition process to change a trans person’s sex on their birth certificate will remain more difficult than changing their sex on other identity documents.
James Morton, Scottish Trans Alliance Manager, said:
“We welcome the Scottish Government’s publication of their draft bill to reform the Gender Recognition Act. The current process to change the sex on a trans person’s birth certificate is a humiliating, offensive and expensive red-tape nightmare which requires them to submit intrusive psychiatric evidence to a faceless tribunal panel years after they transitioned.
“What’s written on a trans person’s birth certificate is not the deciding factor for their access to single-sex services or sports competitions. The reasons trans people change the sex on their birth certificate are so that they no longer have the worry of being ‘outed’ by that last piece of paperwork not matching their other ID, and to be sure that, when they die, nobody can erase their hard-won identity and right to be recorded as themselves.
“We are very pleased that the draft bill is based on statutory declaration not psychiatric evidence and that it reduces the age for application from 18 to 16. However, we are disappointed that the Scottish Government has chosen not to include under 16s or non-binary trans people in the draft bill. We urge the Scottish Government to expand the bill so that all trans people can have equal inclusion and acceptance within Scottish society.”
During the recent UK election campaign, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was asked about reform of the Gender Recognition Act and replied:
“The reform of the Gender Recognition Act is about making the process of legally changing gender less intrusive, less bureaucratic and less traumatic for trans people. It doesn’t change the situation of single sex or women’s only spaces, that is governed by the Equality Act, which we are not proposing to change. You don’t need a gender recognition certificate to access women only spaces right now.
“I am a supporter of trans rights, I’m a supporter of women’s rights and I think it is incumbent on people like me to demonstrate that those things aren’t and needn’t be in tension and in competition. I am a lifelong feminist. I would not be proposing or arguing for something that I thought would be ‘trampling women’s rights’.”
[BBC Radio 5 Live (2 Dec 2019): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000cqdy at timestamp 33:30]
Dr Mhairi Crawford, Chief Executive of LGBT Youth Scotland, said:
“LGBT Youth Scotland welcomes today’s announcement and are pleased that transgender young people over 16 are included in the draft bill.
“We support the proposed changes to enable 16 and 17 year olds to change their legal paperwork to align with their gender identity, recognising trans young people’s right to privacy and to be protected from discrimination. In Scotland, 16 and 17 year olds are allowed to vote, leave school, get married and have children. They can already change the sex on their passports and education records. It makes little sense to deny them the protections that updating their birth certificate affords them.
“We share young people’s disappointment that there is no inclusion of non-binary people in this draft bill and no process for under 16s who wish to obtain legal recognition of their gender. We do, however, recognise that progress takes time and regard today’s draft bill as a steppingstone to full legal recognition for trans people. LGBT Youth Scotland will strive to bring trans young people’s views and experiences to the fore during this consultation and we will work closely with our Youth Commission on gender recognition as we develop our organisational response.”
Dr Rebecca Crowther, Policy Coordinator at Equality Network, said:
“As a lesbian feminist woman, I know that trans rights are not in contradiction of, nor counter to, the fight for women’s rights and equality, of which I am part. Scotland’s national women’s organisations broadly support the reform of the Gender Recognition Act to a statutory declaration system. Now that the draft bill has been published, it is very clear that it does not make any changes to the Equality Act’s single-sex services provisions, so will have no effect on the way single-sex spaces can choose to operate.”
Sophie Bridger, Campaigns, Policy and Research Manager at Stonewall Scotland, said:
“Scotland has a proud history of being a progressive country and this Bill gives us the chance to help trans communities be recognised for who they are. Reforming the Gender Recognition Act to replace the current dehumanising, medicalised process with a process of statutory declaration would be life-changing for many trans people. However, we’d like to see the Bill go further to recognise non-binary identities, so every part of the trans community can benefit from the legislative change.
“Trans people have suffered for too long from inequalities that can be easily removed. So we need everyone who cares about equality to ‘come out’ in support of reforming the Gender Recognition Act and respond to the government’s consultation on the draft Bill.”
Dr Rosie Tyler-Greig, Policy and Influencing Manager at LGBT Health & Wellbeing, said:
“LGBT Health and Wellbeing welcomes the draft bill and the opportunity for trans people and their organisations to re-affirm the importance of a more accessible and respectful gender recognition process. Improving the process will relieve a lot of stress for many trans people, who currently struggle to gather complicated evidence and medical reports just to be recognised as who they are. It is only right that at significant points in the life course, such as accessing pensions or getting married, trans people’s paperwork matches who they are – something the majority of us can take for granted. We remain disappointed that recognition for non-binary people is not included in the proposed changes and we urge Scottish Government to take positive steps towards ensuring everyone can be recognised for who they are.”
Communications Manager
Background
Established in 2011, Kaleidoscope Trust is a UK-based charity focused on fighting for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and gender diverse (LGBTI+) people across the Commonwealth and beyond. We fund, fight for and empower those upholding the human rights of LGBTI+ people by working with governments, change-makers and civil society organisations to effect meaningful and lasting change in the lives of LGBTI+ people. We also host the secretariats to two networks: the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global LGBT+ Rights, which we helped found in 2015, and The Commonwealth Equality Network, of which we are a founding member. The Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN) is the first civil society network to sustainably advocate on behalf of LGBT+ people in the Commonwealth.
The Role
We are looking for a creative, organised and dynamic individual to proactively and strategically deliver this essential, cross-cutting function for Kaleidoscope Trust (KT) and The Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN). The role’s time will be split as follows: 3.5 days per week for KT and 1.5 days per week for TCEN.
More specifically, the post-holder will deliver each organisation’s communications function as follows:
Kaleidoscope Trust
▪ Apply communications knowledge, critical thinking and thought leadership to develop and deliver communications strategies and support our campaigns and projects to grow our fundraising and build our influence and reputation.
▪ Create high quality written copy and high impact visual collateral for a variety of communications and marketing outputs, such as articles, speeches, videos and social media posts, which convincingly convey our key messages and achievements, promote our objectives and build support among our different audiences.
▪ Expertly use tools to monitor KT’s communications impact and provide incisive insight into the external media environment and the daily news cycle to identify opportunities and platforms to enhance Kaleidoscope Trust’s profile and voice.
▪ Act as a filter to ensure all external communications and advertisements are consistent, using the KT brand and style guidelines, and that all outputs and spokespeople use a clearly defined and recognisable KT voice and speaking points.
▪ Enhance KT’s press and media profile and influence in support of our fundraising and public affairs objectives.
▪ Strategically and innovatively leverage KT’s website, social media accounts and other platforms, networks and tools to support the charity’s work.
The Commonwealth Equality Network
▪ Provide strategic planning and thought leadership for all of TCEN’s communications, refining an operationalising TCEN’s overall internal and external communications strategy and work plan, and leading on the development and delivery of project specific communications strategies.
▪ Foster connectivity and collaboration among TCEN’s members, overseeing member-facing communications, ensuring that they promote the work of TCEN and its members internally.
▪ Promote the work of TCEN and its member organisations to key external audiences, via social media, the TCEN website and through the development, commissioning and deployment of film and other visual products.
▪ Ensure the appropriate metrics are in place to monitor and report on and improve the impact of TCEN’s communications strategy and communications activities.
The Communications Manager will sit in KT’s Policy and Public Affairs Team and will be line managed by our Head of Policy and Public Affairs. They will have a ‘dotted line’ to the Head of TCEN Secretariat who oversees all TCEN communications work. On fundraising, they will work closely with the Development Manager and the CEO.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Communications and Marketing
1. Proactively develop impactful, compelling and timely messaging and storytelling that conveys key information and promotes our goals and achievements to help meet our fundraising and public affairs objectives with our different audiences, in line with our values and ways of working.
2. Provide strategic communications advice and expertise on leveraging organisational outputs, campaigns and projects, and adaptably integrate these into communications planning to enhance our fundraising and influence.
3. In close collaboration with our Development Manager, develop and deploy a powerful narrative and supporting collateral to market our story to different audiences to accelerate our fundraising efforts.
4. In close collaboration with the Head of TCEN Secretariat, ensure the TCEN communications strategy is refined and implemented, ensuring that appropriate metrics are in place to measure and improve impact.
5. Produce a variety of high-quality audio-visual and written collateral that will resonate with, influence and activate our different audiences. Outputs and collateral include our monthly newsletter, articles, speeches, videos, photographs, infographics, statements, blog posts and social media content, among others.
6. Create opportunities to leverage our websites and social media channels and identify other innovative tools, platforms and networks to help tell the story of our impact, convey our key messages and build our profile.
7. Work seamlessly within the Policy and Public Affairs Team to monitor the daily news cycle, trends and changes in the external media environment in order to identify both risks to the organisation and opportunities to support and enhance our LGBTI+ rights advocacy and our press and media profile and influence.
Work Plan Delivery and Communications Operations
1. Manage and implement internal guidelines and tools/templates relating to internal and external communications, such as our style guide and brand guidelines.
2. Review all external collateral and advertisements to ensure they meet KT’s and TCEN’s style guides and brand guidelines.
3. Ensure consistency in messaging and use of defined (and separate) KT and TCEN voices in all of each organisation’s external communications and that spokespeople are appropriately equipped and trained to do so.
4. Work with KT’s Development Manager and the Head of TCEN Secretariat to build and maintain an up-to-date bank of impactful stories and case studies of each organisation’s priority work areas to use in fundraising and/or communications efforts.
5. Co-organise and/or support delivery of events (including developing collateral) to ensure communications opportunities are maximised.
6. Monitor data on KT and TCEN’s communications activities against agreed metrics and targets in line with our impact framework and provide regular reporting for use by senior management and the Board.
7. Identify risks and ensure critical issues are appropriately escalated as they emerge, and deploy strategies to mitigate or remedy them where appropriate.
Stakeholder Management
1. Build and maintain productive relationships with key contacts and stakeholders in the media and press, as directed.
2. Act as the point of contact for all press and media queries and escalate these to appropriate senior management.
3. Ensure records and data of all media and press stakeholders and communications
are kept up to date and secure on the media stakeholder database (Vuelio).
General
1. Contribute to organisational planning processes and into reviews of the organisational strategies, as needed.
2. Contribute to upholding a supportive and productive culture and working environment across Kaleidoscope Trust.
3. Work closely with agencies, consultants and freelancers as relevant to ensure high-quality output and value for money.
4. Willingness to travel, within reasonable expectations, to attend conferences, events and meetings.
5. Undertake any other duties which reasonably fall within the purpose of the role.
Skills and Competencies:
We are looking for a highly skilled candidate who can demonstrate experience with the following:
Essential
▪ Ability to think creatively and strategically about communications challenges and opportunities and dynamically adapt plans to changing demands and contexts.
▪ Designing and delivering successful communications and marketing strategies and campaigns.
▪ Developing compelling stories and narratives for a variety of target audiences using different approaches.
▪ Excellent written communications skills, including the ability to write persuasively on a range of topics in different voices and formats to convey complex ideas to different audiences with varying levels of knowledge, interest and needs.
▪ Creating high quality visual and audio-visual content (videos, images, leaflets, etc.) in line with established brand guidelines.
▪ Building buy-in to deliver objectives, in a meaningfully consultative and non-extractive manner and in consideration of power dynamics.
▪ Analysing data and inputs and writing detailed and evidence-based reports.
▪ Project and budget management to deliver objectives on time and within budget and ensure value for money.
▪ Website back-end management and social media use (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X/Twitter) for communications and fundraising.
▪ Ability to understand power structures and communicate sensitively with and about diverse stakeholders who experience current and historic inequities.
▪ Risk management and mitigation.
Desirable
▪ Using Canva or similar software to create impactful visual assets whilst adhering to established brand guidelines.
▪ Using Mailchimp or similar software to create and analyse performance of email newsletters.
▪ Managing WordPress-based websites.
▪ Running digital campaigns using free and paid-for online and social media advertising.
▪ Working with external partners to produce impactful communications.
▪ Experience with individual giving fundraising.
▪ Successfully pitching stories, articles and/or Op-Eds to relevant and diverse media, and understanding how this relates to the daily news cycle.
▪ Developing internal processes and tools and rolling them out with teammates.
▪ Understanding of the issues LGBTI+ people face globally and their root causes, from a human rights and/or development perspective.
▪ Understanding of intersectionality in the context of the lives of LGBTI+ people.
▪ Understanding of safeguarding principles in order to ensure the welfare of others is at the forefront of their work.
The candidate should be able to demonstrate the following personal qualities:
▪ Accuracy and attention to detail.
▪ Adaptable and able to work agilely and flexibly to manage various demands under matrix management.
▪ Strong interpersonal skills and confidence working as part of a team and with senior-level and external stakeholders.
▪ Patient, compassionate and understanding.
▪ An organised self-starter with strong time management and problem-solving skills.
▪ Clear communicator with the ability to interpret, process, and share information in a concise and appropriate manner with different internal and external audiences.
▪ Willingness to “pitch in” and take initiative to support colleagues beyond the parameters of the job description where necessary.
▪ Commitment to advancing the human rights of LGBTI+ people everywhere.
Terms and Conditions:
▪ This role is full time, on a fixed-term basis until 31 March 2025 (with likelihood of extension, contingent on funding).
▪ The salary is £43,000 p.a., plus pension contributions.
▪ The post-holder is entitled to standard annual leave of 25 days in addition to the usual public holidays in England and Wales.
▪ Standard core hours of work are 9:00am – 5:30pm (London time) with possible requirement to work very occasionally at evenings and weekends (which will accrue Time Off In Lieu).
▪ The post-holder will be line-managed by Kaleidoscope Trust’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs with a dotted line to the Head of TCEN Secretariat on all TCEN matters and the CEO on communications and fundraising matters.
▪ The post-holder will be based out of Kaleidoscope Trust’s office in Bethnal Green, London, but will be permitted (with the agreement of their line manager) to work from home predominantly, with the occasional requirement to travel to the office for appraisals and key meetings or events.
▪ The post-holder must possess the right to live and work in the United Kingdom for the period of the contract.
▪ Start date: 1 April 2024 or as soon as possible after.
How to apply:
Kaleidoscope Trust is committed to equality and diversity and we particularly encourage applications from all sections of the LGBTI+ community and Black and minority ethnic communities.
Please submit your CV and a two-page maximum covering letter to [email protected], titling your communication: “Vacancy: Communications Manager”, explaining:
(i) your interest in this role, and
(ii) how your experience meets the skills and competencies outlined above.
If you have any questions relating to your application, please email the above address.
Closing date: Thursday 29th February 2024 at 23:59 (London Time)
Interviews: W/C 4th March 2024
Trustees January 2024
Rainbow Migration, the longest-running UK charity dedicated to supporting LGBTQI+ people through the asylum and immigration system, is seeking one or two new trustees.
We are looking for people who have sought asylum on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics to join our board of trustees. We are looking for people who are passionate about our vision that LGBTQI+ people can settle in the UK and lead fulfilling lives, and our mission to support LGBTQI+ people through the asylum and immigration system. You should also be committed to our values:
- Safety: We believe everyone should be safe from persecution and safe to be themselves. We strive to create a safe workplace culture, and we place importance on the wellbeing of everyone involved with Rainbow Migration.
- Integrity: We are thorough and honest in everything we do, and we take responsibility for our actions. We want to be accountable to our communities and those who support us.
- Belonging: We welcome and include all LGBTQI+ people, and we celebrate and value their range of experience in terms of gender, religion, race, age, disability status and class. We try to remove obstacles to participation, champion equality and promote a sense of family or home through our services.
- Respect: We believe that every person is equal and deserves the same level of courtesy, care, and attention. We respect the rights, wishes and feelings of our service users, and campaign for their rights to be respected as they go through the asylum and immigration system.
At Rainbow Migration, we don’t just accept difference – we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. We particularly encourage applications from people of colour and trans, non-binary and intersex individuals, as well as disabled individuals. We welcome applications from people who have not served on a trustee board previously, and you can live anywhere in the UK.
What will you be doing?
Being a trustee is a rewarding role. Trustees bring their expertise to shape our strategy and direction, and help ensure we remain the authoritative organisation on LGBTQI+ asylum and immigration. They have overall legal responsibility for the charity, make sure our finances and resources are well used to implement our mission, and are required to participate fully in the governance of the charity. Trustees also play a role as ambassadors for the organisation and its work. For more information see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/charity-trustee-whats-involved or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8TIkLLwwdQ
What support will you receive?
We provide numerous resources for trustees to receive training on good governance and the duties of a trustee, as well as on charity finance. Trustees will also receive training on safeguarding, cyber-security and data protection. Other training can be arranged to suit your needs. Training costs are covered by Rainbow Migration.
‘Buddying up’ with an existing trustee can also be arranged, and this is encouraged for those for whom this is their first time serving as a trustee. This involves meeting up with a longer-serving trustee outside of board meetings, occasionally or regularly, to discuss:
- The format, style and content of board meetings generally
- Papers submitted to upcoming trustee board meetings
- Experiences serving on the board
You will also have induction meetings with Rainbow Migration staff.
What we do
We provide emotional and practical support for LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum, offer legal information and advice, and carry out campaigning, policy work and strategic litigation. We also train lawyers and other organisations working with LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum. We have a team of 16 full- and part-time staff, volunteer lawyers delivering advice on applications for partner and spouse visas, and volunteers with lived experience of the asylum system who give advice to our campaign No Pride in Detention.
Time and location
We are looking for people who can commit to being a trustee for at least three years. Each trustee has to be re-elected about once every three years. The maximum term limit for being a trustee is nine years.
Trustees meet in the evening about six times per year. Attendance at other ad-hoc meetings, events (such as the annual general meeting), or relevant committee meetings (e.g. on HR or finance) is also expected. Preparation for the meetings involves a time commitment of two to four hours for detailed reading of papers, which are provided several days in advance.
Meetings are usually held by Zoom. Where face-to-face meetings take place in London, travel costs for trustees will be paid for by the charity.
A few more details
The role of trustee is a voluntary position. Expenses incurred in relation to fulfilling trustee duties can be paid by the charity e.g. travel, phone top-ups.
Rainbow Migration is a membership organisation. We require our trustees to become members (£20 a year, which can be waived for trustees in cases of financial hardship). Trustees can be co-opted by the Board but have to be confirmed by Rainbow Migration’s members at the next annual general meeting (AGM).
This position is open to people who have leave to remain in the UK or UK citizenship. We cannot accept applications from people who are currently seeking asylum or are under the age of 16. Candidates must not have been previously disqualified as a trustee or company director, have an undischarged bankruptcy or have unspent criminal convictions for an offence involving dishonesty or deception (such as fraud).
If you are offered the role of trustee, we will later ask you to inform us if you have any criminal records that are still considered “unspent” – meaning you’re still in the process of rehabilitation for any convictions or cautions. After that, we will request you to obtain a “basic DBS certificate,” which Rainbow Migration will pay for. This certificate is a check we do with the Disclosure and Barring Service, and it only reveals details of convictions and cautions that are unspent. We use this information to assess if candidates are suitable for roles that may involve working with vulnerable individuals or positions of trust. Only offences or information that is relevant to the role will be taken into consideration. If you have an offence that is not, it won’t impact your ability to become a trustee. See our website for more information.
To apply
Please click here to download the Application Pack
Please send:
1. Your CV. If you do not have a CV, please provide a written, audio or video summary of your education, work and/or life experience
2. Either:
• A covering email, or
• A video or audio recording explaining why you are applying (no longer than two to five minutes)
to [email protected] by 10am on Friday 23 February.
When writing your covering email or making your video or audio recording, please explain why you are interested in being a Rainbow Migration trustee. We also want to hear about your skills and experience. Skills and experience could be from training, volunteering, interests or life experience. Our current trustees have skills and experience covering lived experience of the asylum system, law (public law and human rights ), business management, communications, fundraising and finance.
If you are an expert by experience (a refugee or a migrant with direct, first-hand experience of issues and challenges of the UK asylum or immigration system), you can ask for an independent and confidential support for your application from the Experts by Experience Employment Network (www.ebeemployment.org.uk). Please complete this form to request support and they will confirm if they can match you with a mentor to support your application.
If you would like further information about the role or to have an informal discussion with our Executive Director or an existing trustee, please contact [email protected].
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an informal interview with the Executive Director and another trustee, which can be by phone, online or in-person in London (the costs of participating or attending can be paid by the charity, e.g. travel or phone data). The preferred candidate will then be invited to observe a board meeting so that both they and the organisation can feel confident that the role and organisation is right for them.
Privacy notice
We are committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. By applying for a role as a trustee, you agree that we may collect, use and disclose your personal data for the purposes of recruitment. We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Rainbow Migration without your consent, which you can withdraw at any time. Information is kept for the minimum period necessary, which for unsuccessful applicants is 12 months after the conclusion of the recruitment campaign. Please see our privacy policy for full details.