Asks Hannah Bardell to include in their thoughts those lesbian, bi and trans women who are asylum seekers and have been asked by the Government to prove that they qualify for asylum.

Agrees with Christine Jardine's point about LGBT asylum seekers. Mentions her personal experience of coming out later in life and the mental health impact it had. Acknowledges that coming out can be a very different experience for trans people, especially in today’s climate.

Comments on the classification of middle age as being between 30 and 50. Discusses the difficulty faced by individuals coming out later in life due to the impact it can have on their mental health.

Agrees with John Nicolson's comments about the open season on trans people and the need for respectful discussions around changes in legislation. Cites Stonewall Scotland’s survey, highlighting that half of LGBT people in Scotland have experienced depression, including seven in ten trans people, and more than half of trans people have thought of taking their own life in the past year.

Asks Hannah Bardell for a specific figure on the percentage of trans people who have experienced depression or suicidal thoughts.

Emphasised the significant challenges faced by LGBT individuals in accessing healthcare, citing a Stonewall Scotland report which indicates that 52% of transgender people have experienced discrimination. She provided statistics on self-harm among LGBT youth and unequal treatment by healthcare staff. Bardell stressed the importance of education, open discussion, and proper resourcing for improving conditions in the NHS. She shared personal stories from trans women who highlighted issues such as access to drugs, long waiting lists for gender identity development services (GIDS), and the impact of societal transphobia on mental health.

Expressed gratitude towards Members who worked to ensure full equality for LGBT individuals in Northern Ireland, highlighting the work done by HERe NI, an organisation that supports lesbian and bisexual women's mental health. He urged the Government to protect this vital service from funding cuts.

I agree with everything the hon. Member said. I was proud to vote for equal marriage in Northern Ireland and for abortion reform, highlighting that legislative change is an important step but does not necessarily fix cultural issues. I pay tribute to those who fought hard for LGBT rights and express concern about potential funding cuts. Section 28 had a damaging effect on LGBT people, both historically and currently. Inclusive education is crucial, as are discussions around safe sex practices for LGBT individuals, including the importance of dental dams for protection against sexually transmitted infections during oral sex. Specific health needs of disabled LGBT individuals are often overlooked by healthcare professionals, leading to mistrust in medical providers.

The hon. Lady gave an incredibly powerful speech about the importance of intersectionality and delivering sex and relationships education in schools. She agrees that it is time to remove the exemption that allows some families to opt their children out of age-appropriate relationship education, as this creates barriers for headteachers.

Agrees that vulnerable children need comprehensive relationship education. Mentions her own inadequate sex education experience and highlights the work of Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) in Scotland, noting improvements in attitudes among pupils towards LGBT peers after TIE sessions. Cites positive learning outcomes from TIE's materials addressing harmful gender stereotypes and self-acceptance. Expresses gratitude for support received after facing homophobic abuse from a Member of the House of Lords.

Responds to Hannah Bardell, stressing that the comments made by the Member are unrepresentative of Northern Ireland today. Hopes for a more positive representation of Northern Ireland in debates on LGBT issues.

Thanks Stephen Farry for his intervention and acknowledges that many people in Northern Ireland are distancing themselves from the negative actions of the Member. Emphasises the importance of continuing such debates to ensure proper healthcare is available for all in the LGBT community.

The hon. Member for Livingston has made some excellent points and highlighted the importance of lesbian, bisexual and trans women's health inequalities. The APPG on global LGBT+ rights is currently focusing on global LGBT rights where the situation differs from that in the UK. The debate marks a significant milestone as it is the first dedicated to LBT women’s health issues in this Parliament, reflecting progress made over the past two decades including equal marriage and other legal protections. However, while equality in law has been achieved, delivering equality in outcome remains challenging, particularly regarding health disparities faced by LGBT communities. The Women and Equalities Committee report highlighted inequalities in healthcare access and service provision for LGBT people, noting poor mental health outcomes among LBT women due to discrimination and inadequate treatment options. The debate calls for coordinated efforts from multiple agencies to improve data collection on sexual orientation and trans status within the NHS, mandating equalities training for frontline staff, and ensuring specific needs of LBT women are addressed in service commissioning frameworks.

Ms. Osborne questioned if urgent action should be taken to address the health and social care needs of marginalised LBT women.

Ms. Blake agreed with her colleague that it is an urgent matter for the Government to take note and take action. She highlighted the need for person-centred care, stressing the importance of understanding how someone’s personal life and background affects their health needs and outcomes. Ms. Blake also mentioned the specific experiences of trans women using healthcare services in Sheffield, pointing out issues with staff understanding and reluctance to acknowledge non-binary gender identities.

I thank Members across the House for some very powerful speeches. It is always an invidious task to single out individual ones, but the hon. Member for Livingston spoke very powerfully when she opened the debate. I declare my interests as a former NHS doctor specialising in mental health. Today’s debate highlights the importance of understanding and addressing health inequalities wherever they are. We must ensure that everyone has access to great opportunities with a safety net. The health service and our public services are key parts of this, and we must break down barriers to accessing these opportunities and services. I wish to focus on stigma, research and tailored services today. To address LGBT health inequalities, we first need to understand why they exist and recognise the complexity within the community. Stigma ruins lives and can prevent those who need help from seeking it. Mental health issues disproportionately affect vulnerable groups including LGBT communities. More detailed clinical research and data are needed to fully understand these inequalities. Tailored services must be developed to support people with multiple complicated issues. I urge the Government to ensure all sustainability and transformation partnerships meet the April 2021 deadline to become integrated care systems, so that everyone has equal access to support services.

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this debate and for its organisation. The context is very different in Northern Ireland due to long-running battles with equality that have only come to fruition recently. For example, reforms for equal marriage and abortion rights were passed after years of time lag. People in Northern Ireland are no different from people anywhere else but have had a longer fight for their rights. There has been some pushback regarding why this House should legislate for Northern Ireland, but previous attempts at reform failed due to blockages in the system. I want to address LBT women and trans people specifically.

I thank the hon. Member for his passionate contribution about changes in Northern Ireland. Will he join me in paying tribute to Lyra McKee, a fine champion of equality and diversity? Her partner, Sara Canning, is also an incredible woman and great champion for LGBT equality. Lyra is sadly missed but will not be forgotten.

Emphasised the critical issues for lesbian and bisexual women in Northern Ireland, including mental health crises due to discrimination and social isolation. He highlighted that LBT women are more likely than heterosexual women to be pregnant as a result of sexual crime. He also discussed the need for policy reforms such as proper research on cervical screening uptake, rules for publicly funded IVF tailored for same-sex relationships, guidelines on eligibility for donor intrauterine insemination, mandatory training for healthcare professionals, and a fully operational gender identity clinic.

Highlighted the importance of eliminating health inequalities faced by LBT women to ensure all individuals can lead long and healthy lives. He referenced Public Health England’s review indicating a lack of attention, concern and research on lesbian and bisexual women's health inequalities. Day also noted that 34% of advice workers are not confident dealing with trans people, underlining the need for staff training.

Asked Martyn Day whether he agrees it is essential to ensure all NHS mental health services train staff on the specific mental health needs of LGBT individuals, including LBT women.

I am pleased to be responding to this debate, which falls near the beginning of LBT Women’s Health Week. The theme of this year’s week is visibility... The hon. Member for Reigate was absolutely right to say that equality in law is not the same as equality in outcome, and he highlighted some of the findings from the Women and Equalities Committee report... As we have heard during the debate, there are higher rates of poor mental health, misinformation about sexual health, difficulties in accessing healthcare, and experiences of discrimination, harassment and domestic abuse. There are multiple barriers facing LBTQ+ women that prevent them from having a healthy and happy life, and that is simply because of who they are... The Government’s Equalities Office produced an LGBT action plan in 2018 which included more than 75 commitments across a whole range of areas... In the annual progress report for 2018-19, which was presented to Parliament, I know that some progress on those recommendations was made. The National LGBT health adviser was appointed and a funded programme to trial new approaches to tackling LGBT health inequalities was launched.

Congratulated the hon. Member for Livingston on securing this debate and acknowledged contributions from various Members regarding mental health barriers, discrimination, charity work, and the need to tailor services to communities. Noted that LGBT individuals face significant inequalities in health outcomes but highlighted progress such as appointing a national LGBT health adviser, Dr Michael Brady. Emphasised the importance of collecting robust data on sexual orientation for targeted interventions and improving access to mental health services. Addressed concerns about screening programmes and gender identity services, noting initiatives like public health leaflets aimed at trans individuals.

Highlighted the challenges LGBT individuals face, including higher rates of self-harm and eating disorders. Emphasised the need for better understanding of guidelines and addressed issues related to abortion rights for women who have suffered sexual crimes or abuse.

The hon. Member thanked everyone for their contributions, highlighted the respectful and thoughtful manner in which the debate was conducted, acknowledged new Members with health professional backgrounds, praised the Northern Irish perspective provided by Stephen Farry, mentioned Martyn Day’s Scottish perspective, recognised Justin Madders' focus on major health challenges faced by LBT women, emphasised the importance of Committee reports like the one from the Women and Equalities Committee, expressed hope for further action from the Minister regarding specific points raised, and highlighted a particular challenge in Scotland involving non-binary individuals having to travel far for necessary medical care.