Non-binary equality action plan: progress report 2024 - easy read

Non-Binary Equality Action Plan 2023 to 2028: What has happened so far in 2024?

What Easy Read is  

Easy read is a way of making information easier to understand for people with learning disabilities. Lots of other people find easy read useful too, particularly anyone who finds it hard to read English.  

Read the full version of this publication - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836019466.

What is this document about

This is an Easy Read document.

It will tell you how well our work is going on the Non-Binary Equality Action Plan for 2023 to 2028.

An action plan sets out what work will be done.

The plan says what work we will do in the next 5 years to improve equality for non-binary people.

Improve means to make it better.

Equality means treating people fairly and giving people the same choices and chances.

This is our first progress report.

It sets out what work has happened so far.

What is non-binary?

A non-binary person is someone who does not see themselves as a man or a woman.

They might see themselves as:

• between a man or a woman
• changing between the two
• or having no gender

Gender identity means if someone sees themselves as male or female or in a different way.

Trans or transgender means people who feel that the body they were born into is not right for them.

This means they may want to change from being a man to a woman, or from a woman to a man.

LGBTQI+ means people who are:

• lesbian
• gay
• bisexual
• transgender
• queer
• intersex
• + means people who feel part of the LGBTQI community but are not listed above

We want to improve the lives of non-binary and trans people in Scotland.

There is still a lot of work for us to do over the next 4 years.

The rest of the information in this document sets out what work has gone well in 2024.

Theme 1: Taking part when decisions are made

There are 3 actions in this section.

• 2 actions have been done
• 1 action is still being worked on

We have made changes to the Participation Handbook.

This makes it easier for people to work with us on things that are important to them.

Theme 2: Healthcare

Gender Identity Healthcare

This means medical care which helps people who are feeling worried or sad about their gender identity.

There are 6 actions in this section

• 4 actions have been done
• 2 actions are still being worked on

This year NHS Education for Scotland made training to:

• help to make healthcare services better for non-binary people
• help people who work in healthcare to understand the difficulties that non-binary and trans people face

Mental Health and Primary Care

There are 7 actions in this section.

• 3 actions have been done
• 4 actions are still being worked on

We have changed our Equality Impact Assessments so that they mention non-binary people.

An Equality Impact Assessment is a way of making sure everyone is thought about when we make decisions or changes.

Fertility preservation

Fertility preservation is ways to store human eggs, sperm and sometimes embryos so that a person can use them in the future to have a child.

An embryo is the very first weeks of a baby developing.

There are 4 actions in this section:

• 1 action has been done
• 2 actions are still being worked on
• 1 action has not been started

NHS Inform now has information on fertility treatments that are available for non-binary and trans people in Scotland.

Fertility treatments are ways to support someone to get pregnant.

Theme 3: The law, guidance and getting services

There are 7 actions in this section.

• 2 actions have been done
• 5 actions are still being worked on

We have changed guidance for Equality Impact Assessments for the Scottish Government to use.

They now include non-binary and trans issues.

Issues are subjects or problems that people are thinking and talking about.

We will also publish guidance in early 2025 about how to change your name in Scotland.

Publish means to share it for everyone to read.

IT systems – using computers

There are 4 actions in this section.

• 1 action has been done
• 3 actions are still being worked on

We have started work on the new Community Health Index number project and Digital Programme which will look at the needs of non-binary and trans people.

A Community Health Index number or CHI number is a unique number which is used by healthcare staff to identify you correctly.

The Digital Programme wants to improve the way that public services work online.

Public services are services we all use like schools, hospitals and councils.

Theme 4: Data and research

Research means getting data about something.

Data is facts, figures and information.

There are 19 actions in this section:

• 4 actions have been done
• 9 actions are still being worked on
• 6 actions have not been started

The census is a survey that happens every 10 years and gives information about all the people and households in the country.

Scotland’s Census 2022 told us there were nearly 20 thousand people in Scotland who were trans or had a trans history.

9 thousand and 30 of these people were non-binary.

We looked at what research there is on non-binary people.

We made a report about the research.

It shows that non-binary people face difficulties in a lot of areas, like education, health and work.

The report also shows that we need more information about the lives of non-binary people.

For example we need to know when non-binary people might experience violence for being who they are.

This research will help us to improve the lives of non-binary people in Scotland.

Theme 5: Children and young people

There are 5 actions in this section

• 5 actions are still being worked on

Organisations published 2 reports about the impact LGBT inclusive education has had on non-binary children and young people.

Impact means what we think the results of actions and work will be.

LGBT inclusive education means including LGBTQI+ people and history in what pupils learn at school.

This makes sure that:

• learners understand that LGBTQI+ people are an equal part of our society
• LGBTQI+ young people feel included
• pupils are encouraged to have respect for everyone

Theme 6: Sport

Out of the 2 actions in this section:

• 1 action has been done
• 1 action is still being worked on

The Sports Councils Equality Group which includes sportscotland is still giving workshops on how sports can be more welcoming to non-binary people.

If you want to find out more please visit our website: Non-binary equality - LGBTQI+ - gov.scot