Know Your Rights

 
Over the last 10 years, Scotland and the UK have seen huge steps towards equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Discrimination is now illegal in most contexts, civil partnerships and family law recognise same-sex relationships, transsexuals can have their acquired gender recognised on their birth certificate, and section 28, a hate-fuelled piece of legislation that tried to prevent any mention of ‘homosexuality’ in schools is long gone. (Please download the Legislation Factsheet from the Information Centre for more information )

But do you know what your rights are? It is important to know your rights – knowing what you are entitled to means that you will know when your rights are being violated or ignored. Knowing your rights help you feel empowered and stand up for yourself and others.

This section is here to give a quick overview of your rights in relation to your sexual orientation and/or gender identity or expression. We focused on discrimination and human rights here, to keep this as snappy as possible. There are other places that can help you with other issues, such as for example housing and benefits. You can find details for those agencies in the links section and our youth workers will always be happy to get in touch with other services. These pages are designed to give you a idea of what your rights are and to empower you to stand up for your rights and the rights of others; they are not designed to provide legal advice (if that’s what you need, click here)