Channel Island equality charity Liberate and affiliate group Trans*Jersey are asking those standing for election to the States of Jersey for their view on LGBTQ issues.
Liberate and Trans* Jersey have emailed all the candidates standing for election to the States of Jersey asking them to complete an online questionnaire about the most pressing issues affecting the island’s LGBTQ community.
The results of the questionnaire will be publicly available on the Liberate and Trans* Jersey websites (www.liberate.gg and transjersey.org). Candidates are asked to complete the questionnaire by 8 October 2014.
Jersey Co-ordinator for Liberate Vic Tanner Davy said:
“2015 is going to be a big year for Jersey’s LGBTQ population with the introduction of anti-discrimination legislation in September and debates on how to introduce marriage for same-sex couples. However, there are other issues that affect the LGBTQ population that have yet to be discussed in the States but are no less important to the approximately 10% of islanders who identify as LGBTQ. It is right that Liberate and Trans* Jersey, organisations that represents the LGBTQ community, ask candidates for their views on these issues, issues that are likely to be put before the States for debate in the next term, the term in which the candidates will serve, if elected.”
Candidates are being asked the following 10 questions:
- Which of the options for same-sex marriage being proposed by the Chief Minister’s consultation document of 20 August 2014 (Equal Marriage and Partnership) would have your support?
- Would you support the opening up of civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples?
- Which of the options for equalising adultery as a cause for dissolving a marriage being proposed by the Chief Minister’s consultation document of 20 August 2014 (Equal Marriage and Partnership) would have your support?
- Apart from religious organisations that are exempt, are there any other businesses or service providers that would have your support to have the right, in certain circumstances, to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation?
- Apart from religious organisations that are exempt, are there any other businesses or service providers that would have your support to have the right, in certain circumstances, to discriminate on the grounds of gender reassignment?
- Would you support the introduction of the use of the internationally recognised X marker by the passport office and registry office to denote someone whose gender is self-determined as neither M nor F? (For example, in the case of a child born with an intersex condition or “DSD” whose parents did not wish to register their child’s gender as M or F until later in life.)
- Would you support the removal of the restrictions on adoption by same-sex couples? At present, same-sex couples cannot apply to adopt jointly. However, one partner may submit an application supported by the other. In other words, single parents may adopt but same-sex couples in a civil partnership may not.
- Would you support compulsory, age-appropriate, LGBTQ-inclusive Sex and Relationship Education in all schools?
- Would you support the removal of the restrictions on blood donation by homosexual men? At present, homosexual men may not donate blood if they have had sexual contact in the last 12 months. There is no exception for homosexual men in committed monogamous partnerships.
- Would you support revising the Gender Recognition (Jersey) Law 2010 to remove the requirement for a gender recognition certificate from an approved jurisdiction to be presented and replace the process with a system by which a transgender individual self-reports their transition to the Royal Court (in much the same way that a change of name by deed poll is self-reported and passed through the Royal Court)?
For candidates standing for election, the questions can be accessed here: Link to candidate survey
To find out more about the candidates who are standing in your parish or district, go to vote.je where a full list of candidates can be found. Election day is 15 October so don’t forget to vote!