Pinks News Edinburgh Summer Reception 2022
Wednesday 29th June saw Pink News host their Summer Reception at Scottish Parliament, and we were delighted to be chosen as their 2022 Charity Partner. This annual event sees Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs), charities, and community members reflecting on LGBTQ+ equality, progress achieved, and the inequalities that remain.
It was a powerful evening celebrating the unity of our community along a range of partners in the equality sector.
The theme of the reception was ‘rainbow families’ and so our team used this platform to highlight the experiences of LGBTQ+ families in Scotland.
Jules Stapleton-Barnes (Development Worker) used her own experience as an LGBTQ+ parent and of delivering our Rainbow Families services to call attention to the inequalities and barriers faced by LGBTQ+ families.
“I stand here because there are still significant disparities impacting the lives of LGBTQ+ families, and the lives of LGBTQ+ children and young people, linked to societal stigma, discrimination and denial of their civil and human rights.”
She talked about the need for greater inclusion in fertility, reproductive, adoption and fostering services, to make them adequate and relevant to a range of family structures and prospective parents.
“The journey to parenthood as an LGBTQ+ person can be extremely tough, as I know first-hand. For anyone looking to start a family through pregnancy, but particularly for LGBTQ+ people, it is often years of gate-keeping, long waiting lists or unsustainable costs, ongoing emotional and physical stress and distress, perhaps with access to ill-equipped counsellors, and often in the confines of a care system that is faulty.”
She went on to explain the needs of LGBTQ+ families and what role service providers can play in meeting those needs:
- Safe, accessible events to meet other LGBTQ+ families, and for parents and children to connect and see themselves in others. Bringing families together creates better support networks and help educate and celebrate the intersectional identities within the family
- 1:1 and family support to create a space for LGBTQ+ parents, prospective parents and the whole family to be heard, understood, supported and thrive on their journey
- Events and support for trans and gender diverse children and young family members, who aren’t yet old enough to access youth services but are old enough to know how they’re feeling about themselves and what feels safe
- Accurate, up to date information on fertility, reproductive, adoption and fostering services, ensuring LGBTQ+ people know what is available for them to help them create the families they want to have
- Capacity building and awareness raising to ensure heartfelt and professional inclusivity really drives a service supporting families, including safe, inclusive and accessible perinatal and mental health care for anyone birthing a baby. Prioritising prevention of barriers and disparity rather than a fire-fighting response to insurmountable waiting lists and faulty systems.
Community members who use our Rainbow Families services also had a chance to tell their stories.
Susan Lancaster (Edinburgh Service Manager) read a poignant testimonial from a parent whose child was bullied at school for being trans.
“It takes a village to raise a child (…) My son is trans and the village doesn’t like that at all (..) The village has a lot to say about things it just doesn’t understand but wants to contain and control anyway.”
“The statistics for trans kids are not good…more likely to hurt themself, more likely to experience suicidal thoughts, more likely to have an incomplete education, more likely to be attacked, assaulted, targeted.”
“But the village doesn’t want to teach children about gay stuff (a direct quote from our parent council) so my child has grown-up explaining himself to the disbelieving and the curious and sadly the hateful too. We have to talk about diversity, yes in front of our kids, for our kids. This is our world, bigger than a village and it’s filled with extraordinary people, look at the myriad ways we exist! It’s a beautiful, life-saving truth and one I am proud of, are you?”
And Nicola Johnston (community member) shed a light on the challenging journey that queer adoptive parents often go through.
“We as queer adoptive parents were surprised at how rare it is to have social opportunities to meet other families with a similar make up.”
“It is extremely important for us that Sophie has experiences with families that look like hers to help guide her through her own journey of feeling different and negotiating her own identity.”
“Queer applicants are likely to have first-hand experience of negotiating feeling different and embracing their identity, which is a very common challenge for children living with care experience. Having workers be able to look past perceived gender roles and antiquated family values would go a long way.”
“The adoption process has its challenges, as does any conception of a family, but the possibility of being able to give a child love, opportunity and a secure family home far outweighs any ignorance we experienced.”
Members of the Scottish Parliament from across the political spectrum also took the opportunity to affirm their commitment to LGBTQ+ equality, including reform to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) and a fully inclusive ban on conversion therapy (inclusive of trans people).
Christina McKelvie (SNP Equalities Minister) acknowledged the challenging journey to reform the GRA in Scotland and re-affirmed her commitment to banning conversion therapy for all LGBTQ+ people: “We don’t care how you define yourself. You will be protected under that ban.”
Pam Duncan-Glancy (Labour MSP) addressed the toxic debate surrounding trans rights affirming the need for a fully inclusive ban on conversion therapy: “Your rights are human rights, not because you’re trans but because you’re human.”
Patrick Harvie (co-leader of the Scottish Greens) talked about his experience of growing up gay in the 1980s, and how it tears his heart to see the same moral panic he observed during the section 28 campaign, being weaponised by politicians and the media against trans people.
Jamie Greene (Scottish Conversatives’ shadow justice secretary) also shared his own experience of growing up gay and being bullied at school. He then challenged the UK government’s failure to ban conversation therapy for all LGBTQ+ people and to reform the GRA: “We made a commitment to the LGBTQ+ community that we would ban conversion therapy. We should fulfil that promise and the Scottish government should do exactly the same. We should do it here, we should do it in Westminster, we should do it in Wales, we should do it in Northern Ireland.”
Alex Cole-Hamilton (leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats) also asserted the need for reform to the GRA to make the process more human. He also criticised the current debate around trans lives and challenged the UK government to look at its decision to send refugees to Rwanda.
