Leading charities for transgender and non-binary rights have praised MPs for speaking out in a Commons debate on reforming the Gender Recognition Act – but say they want to see meaningful action.
The debate, which took place in the House of Commons on Monday, was sparked by an online petition that received more than 137,000 signatures, and outlined what could be done to improve transgender rights in the UK.
Focusing on the Gender Recognition Act (GRA), which gives trans people the legal recognition to live as the gender they identify with, the debate involved addressing the possibility of “allowing trans people to self-identify without the need for a medical diagnosis and allowing non-binary identities to be legally identified”.

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“The process of acquiring a gender recognition certificate is stigmatising, invasive and dehumanising – and the debate showed that MPs from across the political spectrum support the pressing need to reform the Gender Recognition Act,” said Kieran Aldred, head of policy at Stonewall.
“It was wonderful to see so many women and LGBTQ+ MPs stand up for trans rights and dismantle myths around what reform means and who it affects.”
A gender recognition certificate is the document issued to show that a person has satisfied the criteria for legal recognition. At present, this involves getting legal recognition from a medical professional and proving that a person has lived as the gender they identify with for at least two years. This is often suggested to be a challenging and emotionally draining process.