In September 1962, John F Kennedy, President of the United States of America, gave a speech in Texas.
It was a speech that set in motion the most ambitious endeavour in human history at that time, an endeavour that would push humanity to it’s creative and technological limits, and mankind to it’s human ones – landing a man on the moon. And it did so during a time of social change that pushed the limits of human rights and recognition for another minority group – Black people.
Many parts of that speech that resonate even today, but especially these words.
‘We choose to go to the Moon…We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard’
We choose. Not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
The very words conjure that grainy black and white image of JFK standing at that podium that appeared in newspapers around the world.
On 20th May 2021, the UK Government responded to a petition signed by 136,000 UK citizens, a petition demanding to make non-binary a legally recognised gender identity in the UK.
The petition and full response can be found here.
The response was as expected.
In predictable fashion, the UK Government once again refused to recognise the fundamental human rights of the UK ‘s citizens. Welcome to the UK, human rights backwater of the western world.
The key part of the response was this:
‘The Government noted that there were complex practical consequences for other areas of the law, service provision and public life if provision were to be made for non-binary gender recognition in the GRA.’
Like a school child faced with a page of algebra homework they just don’t want to do, the UK Government whined ‘But it’s too hard!’. And just like that school child – they just won’t try.
This is not surprising. Every time this absolute clown car of a Government is faced with a choice, it picks the easiest one.
This approach has contributed directly to the deaths of around 150,000 UK citizens during the Covid pandemic. In comparison, ignoring a petition signed by 136,000 people is a doddle. If lives mean nothing to these socially conservative Neanderthals, what hope is there for human rights?
But is Non Binary recognition really that complicated?
Well, no.
Many individual states in America manage it just fine. As do Denmark, New Zealand, Bangladesh, India and Nepal. You’ll note that several of those are current or former Commonwealth countries, with similar legal systems originating with the UK. And the sky hasn’t fallen, the world hasn’t ended, and no one has been erased.
Offhand, I can think of a couple of different ways it could be approached – with the most freeing of all being completely removing the recording of sex on birth, death and marriage certificates and legal documentation. Only record sex where it is actually applicable to the individual – mainly in medical circumstances.
It would be a step towards individual autonomy and the small state the Conservatives so often claim they want, and remove what is at heart the root of sex discrimination, starting it at birth – grouping people into archaic false categories based on perceived anatomy.
Indeed, this is amply demonstrated by the experiences of Kim Walmsley – a British cisgender woman who was mistakenly recorded in the register of births as male – which is apparently impossible to change and has caused all manner of problems for her and her family. We can see here why legal recognition matters.
Alternatively, you add an “X” option to encompass those outside of the false binary.
Sure, some laws may need looking at. But that’s what you’re paid to do in Government.
As usual though, just taking the easy option and avoiding change entirely isnt enough – this Government have to twist the knife to ensure the maximum amount of cruelty is enacted upon it’s third class transgender citizens.
Because the response also says:
‘This Government wants everybody in the UK to feel safe and confident to be themselves.’
Here’s a ticket to board the clue train, for all those standing on the platform at the Parliament of Fools in Westminster. Including the badly dressed idiot in charge that can’t even work out how to use a comb, and the sour faced blonde with an empathy deficit the size of the Atlantic.
It’s a pretty simple logic loop that a five year old can understand how to resolve. But one twist of the knife isn’t enough.
The response concludes with:
‘This Government is committed to supporting all LGBT people, tackling discrimination and improving the lives of all citizens.’
At this point, if there’s anyone still believing that – we need to talk about a bridge I’ve got for sale. It would have been alarming, but more believable, and indeed more accurate if they had said:
‘This Government is committed to eliminating all LGBT people, enabling discrimination and destroying the lives of all citizens.’
Because we actually have evidence for that. This is gaslighting on a scale only fascist bureaucracies can manage.
Let’s be clear – the UK Government have chosen to deny legal recognition for Non Binary people. It has chosen to ignore the fundamental human right to self determination. It has chosen to arbitrarily declare who is, and isn’t worthy of clear legal protection.
And we know that when it comes to choice, Conservatives always pick themselves, and ignore everyone else.
In 1969, the USA did the hard thing and landed men on the moon.
In 2021, the UK Government chose the easy thing and didn’t bother trying, defeated….
….by the complexities of paperwork.
