Sanna Marin: the feminist PM who says trans people have a 'right to self-identify'

[Ivy]

Saw this on BBC and thought to share it.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-55020994

 

"There are also plans to reform the Trans Act, a law that currently requires those seeking legal gender recognition to undergo years of mental health screening and, unless they are already infertile, enforced sterilisation.

"Everyone should have the right to determine their own identities. And the programme supports this," Sanna Marin says. 

Does she consider trans women, women?

"It's not my job to identify people," she says firmly. "It's everyone's job to identify themselves. It's not my place to say."

She may be the only government leader to have openly stated such a position on gender self-identification.

Trans rights campaigners have been lobbying for years for reform of the "backward" Trans Act, and some say they still doubt that this government will achieve it.

All previous governments that have tried to change the law have had to back down under conservative pressure, says activist Kasper Kivisto, who has met the coalition to offer his advice. 

"We have the youngest female leader of a country, but alone it's just a token," he says. "It has to have the support of the system behind it before it actually makes a difference."

But this time all five parties in the coalition are in favour of reform, and a bill is due to be put to parliament next year."

[Carolyn Marie]

Very interesting and a positive development.  Thanks for posting, Jandi.

 

Carolyn Marie