'Sex and gender policies will sway our vote'

'Sex and gender policies will sway our vote'Just now People on either side of the debate on sex-based rights and gender recognition have told the BBC that political parties' stance on these issues would decide how they voted on 4 July.

Louise, 53, from Buckinghamshire, said she wanted "protection for single sex spaces", particularly in areas like prisons, changing rooms and sport.

While Aqua Moye, 21, from Hertfordshire said they wanted an incoming government to adopt gender recognition legislation which matches that passed by Scotland .

The BBC is hearing about what matters to the electorate, as part of Your Voice Your Vote .

Louise would like any incoming government to amend the Equality Act 2010, to specify that existing legal protections around sex applied to "biological sex" so that certain spaces were restricted to those whose sex at birth was female.

She believed it was important to protect "women's privacy, dignity and safety".

Louise said she grew up knowing that women in the 60s and 70s had fought for their rights in terms of the workplace, contraceptive and economic freedoms.

"My friends and I were aware that women could not open a bank account in their own name," she said.

She does remember "a time when it felt like the fight was over", citing women in the 80s who were seen to "break the glass ceiling" but now believes "advances women have fought long and hard for are being rolled back".

She is opposed to Labour's announcement last year on gender recognition .

The plans aim to speed up the process for those wanting to legally change their sex.

While she has previously always voted for Labour, Louise said she now "cannot vote for them".

She is also "deeply concerned" by the party's treatment of the Labour MP for Canterbury, Rosie Duffield, who believes you can change gender identity but you "never change sex".

"It's been shocking," Louise said.

This issue has left her "politically homeless" and she now does not know who she will vote for.

She said although she disagreed with the Conservatives on many issues, she supported the work done by Kemi Badenoch in her role as Minister for Women and Equalities in implementing the recommendations of the Cass Review.

Aqua Moye, 22, who identifies as transgender and non-binary, would like to see an incoming UK government pass a Gender Reform Bill which allows for "self-ID", adopting the law passed by the Scottish Parliament .

Under current UK rules, people who want to change legal sex need to provide a medical report - but the Scottish law does not require that.

In practice though, there has been no change in Scotland, because the UK government has blocked the implementation of the law.

Aqua said the reason they oppose medical certification is because of how long the process takes due to the very limited number of clinics for people with gender dysphoria.

"I'm currently on a waiting list, I joined two years ago, and it could take eight to 10 years before I am seen," they said.

They said they knew of people who joined the queue in 2016 and were only now receiving treatment, "and with more people being referred, the waiting list is growing".

This delay has pushed them into trying to find a private clinic.

Aqua said the result of not being able to see a specialist and begin the journey to legally change sex has had "a massive impact" on their mental health, and left them feeling depressed.

They said they were aware of many trans people who have resorted to buying hormones online because of the length of time it takes to get treatment, which can be extremely dangerous.

As a first time voter, Aqua said this issue would ultimately decide which party they choose to vote for.

They said they were "disappointed"in Labour's policy on gender recognition , which sees it drop its 2019 manifesto commitment to introduce self-ID.

While the parties most aligned with their views are the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party, Aqua said they did not believe either were likely to form the next government.

What do the parties say? The Conservatives said gender recognition would remain a power reserved to the UK government, so that devolved parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland cannot introduce their own system.

It added that it would be "guided by biology, not ideology" and would maintain the existing need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria and proof that an individual has lived in their acquired gender for two years.

The party would not allow gender identity to be taught in schools and would prevent children from "medically transitioning", for example by taking puberty blockers.

has dropped its plans to introduce self-ID, and would still require a medical diagnosis in order to obtain a gender recognition certificate.

But it has said it would "streamline and simplify" the system and would scrap the need for proof of living in the acquired gender in favour of a "two-year reflection period".

The party said it would maintain "single-sex exemptions" to protect women-only spaces, but has not confirmed whether or not it would permit teaching about gender identity in schools.

The legislation does allow for single sex spaces currently, however if someone has a Gender Recognition Certificate (not just identifies in a certain way) they're allowed to use them.

The Liberal Democrat manifesto supported the introduction of self-ID and dropping the need for a medical diagnosis for someone to legally change their sex.

The party said it would also recognise "non-binary identities" - people who do not identify as either male or female.

Similarly, the Green Party has said it would introduce self-ID and recognise non-binary identities, as well as allowing trans people who become parents to choose whether "mother/father/parent" was on their child's birth certificate.

Reform UK would mandate single sex spaces in public toilets and changing rooms.

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