Plaid Cymru activists want devolution of equalities law to increase trans rights

Martin Shipton

Plaid Cymru is to debate a controversial motion at its annual conference that would commit it to getting equalities legislation devolved to Wales.

The motion will be considered by party members at the conference in Llandudno on October 3.

Proposed by Plaid Pride, the party’s LGBTQ+ section, the motion seeks powers that could allow the Senedd to change how equalities law applies in Wales.

The motion states: “While the Senedd can legislate on many aspects of daily life, core equalities legislation remains reserved to Westminster. Notable exceptions exist where the Senedd has pushed boundaries within its current powers, but this fragmented approach hinders true progress.

“Now that we have a Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government, it is time that we address this deficit in our legislative framework. Successive Westminster governments have consistently failed to protect and advance the rights of marginalised groups to the standard Wales demands and LGBTQ+ people living here in Wales deserve.

“Conference calls on the Cabinet Minister for Social Justice [Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams] to establish a working group of appropriately qualified people to determine the way forward so that by the end of the current Senedd term, a clear roadmap for the full devolution of equalities is agreed and initiated.

“Conference notes that:

• Core equalities legislation currently remains reserved to the Westminster Parliament;
• Wales is restricted in its ability to fully protect and advance the rights of all its citizens.

“Conference believes that:

• It is time that we address this deficit in our legislative framework to build a fairer society;
• It is essential that a Plaid Cymru government take the relevant steps to protect human rights and equalities in Wales;
• Devolving equalities would bring profound social benefits and allow Wales to lead on progressive human rights legislation.

“Conference resolves that:

• The Cabinet Minister for Social Justice will establish a working group of appropriately qualified people – including people specifically from marginalised or affected groups and also from minorities.
• This working group will determine the legal and political way forward to secure these powers.
• By the end of this Senedd term, Wales will have a clear, actionable roadmap for the full devolution of equalities legislation.”

Responsibilities

Cathy Larkman, director of the gender-critical group Women’s Rights Network (WRN) Wales, said: “WRN Wales hope that Plaid Cymru realise their responsibilities in government and firmly reject this motion at conference. A failure to do so would be a costly distraction from dealing with the real problems facing Wales.

“Setting up a group to try to identify a ‘roadmap’ to devolving equalities law is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money at a time when Welsh families are struggling with the cost of living. It’s a costly distraction from the pressing needs of the NHS, schools and the economy.

“Plaid Cymru’s own manifesto and their website values show that they are still foolishly committed to gender self-ID and allowing men to access women’s and girls’ spaces and services if they claim to be women too. This motion is nothing more than a Trojan horse to try to make that happen and to damage women’s hard-won rights too.

“The Welsh public deserve better than this sneaky misogynistic claptrap. Poll after poll has shown that they do not support self-ID and they understand and value the need for women and girls to have single-sex spaces and services.

“Plaid Cymru appear to have learnt nothing from Scotland. There, an attempt to push through gender recognition reform ended in a political and legal mess, with eye-watering amounts of public money wasted on the court fight and a Supreme Court ruling that rightly confirmed what women had said all along.

“Rhun ap Iorwerth must show backbone and stand up to the ideologues in his own party if he is to be a serious leader, and put women’s safety, privacy and dignity before conference-floor student politics.

“The First Minister and his Cabinet need to pay attention to legal and public opinion – otherwise they risk ending up in an unwinnable legal battle that will cost them dearly.”

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