‘Apparently I live in a country in which the political majority considers me a second-class citizen’

Lisa van Ginneken calls the much-discussed motion on relaxing the Transgender Act, which was adopted by the House of Representatives on Tuesday under the leadership of NSC and SGP, ‘pure opportunism and populism’. The motion in question calls for the withdrawal of a bill that offers transgender people the opportunity to change the gender on their birth certificate without the intervention of a psychologist. The parties that supported the motion no longer wanted to hold a parliamentary debate about the relaxation and no longer wanted to wait for Minister Franc Weerwind’s (Legal Protection, D66) answers to previously asked questions.

Van Ginneken, who served in the House of Representatives for D66 between March 2021 and December 2023 and is now looking for a new job, views the outcome of the vote as a political and social defeat. Not only was she, as a Member of Parliament, the most important advocate of the relaxation of the law, but as a transgender woman and former chairman of the interest group Transvisie, she also knows the impact of the adopted motion on the social minority to which she herself belongs.

What do you think of the fact that the NSC, which continuously advocates better governance, has submitted this motion together with the SGP?

‘As far as I am concerned, NSC has lost all its credibility when it comes to good governance. You cannot simply torpedo the democratic process because you do not like a certain law. Citizens and MPs are entitled to a political debate and answers from the minister. Then you can always vote against that law later. It is also not the first time that NSC has worked this way. The party previously wanted to prevent the dispersal law from being discussed in the Senate. Apparently they abandon their principles when it suits them better.’

Why do you think NSC did that with this bill?

‘It does not surprise me that the NSC does not want to support the relaxation. The party is very conservative on cultural issues. It is clear that Nicolien van Vroonhoven, who defended the motion on behalf of NSC, was informed unilaterally.

‘I inquired with organizations that are committed to trans rights. She didn’t even discuss that before announcing her motion. At the same time, you see that Van Vroonhoven puts forward all the frames of the anti-trans lobby. That young people are encouraged to transition through social contagion, for example. There is no convincing scientific evidence for that.’

In an op-ed de Volkskrant Van Vroonhoven also cited the widely used argument that a relaxation of the Transgender Act could lead to female prisoners being raped by transgender women convicted of sexual offenses.

‘What she forgot to say is that the relaxation currently in place has been in practice in twenty other countries for years, without too many problems. Yes, things have gone wrong twice in a British prison, but that is no reason to restrict transgender women’s rights across the board. If you really want to do something about the large number of rapes in society, it is better to focus on the fact that most women are victims of men in their immediate environment.’

The debate about transgender people is often heated. The organizations that fight for trans rights sometimes also come out on top. Is that a sensible strategy?

‘Yes, the interests they stand up for are great and the lobby they fight against is powerful. Then sometimes it is necessary to take a tough stance. But they always do this with substantive arguments, to refute the disinformation that is constantly spread through all kinds of channels, including in opinion pieces and columns in de Volkskrant.’

Can the trans organizations not be blamed in this debate?

‘Well, the term ‘gender-neutral toilets’ hasn’t done us any good. Because you are suggesting that gender is something neutral. Of course people respond to that. Personally, I prefer to talk about ‘gender-inclusive’ toilets.’

Minister Weerwind has announced that he is ignoring the motion from NSC and SGP. Relieved?

‘No, because if an ultra-right cabinet is formed, Weerwind’s successor will probably still put the proposed relaxation of the law through the paper shredder. That is painful, because a VVD minister once put this relaxation on paper, when the VVD was still firmly in favor of self-determination.’

How do you see the future of transgender people under such an ultra-right government?

‘I fear that the emancipation policy for trans people and other LGBTI people will be scaled back. And I’m afraid that this will happen to more vulnerable groups in our society, including women and people with a migration background.’

On Tuesday it was announced that the number of reports of discrimination against Jews, Muslims and LGBTI people has risen again. The National Coordinator against Racism and Discrimination attributes this, among other things, to the hardening of politics.

‘Well, just look at the motion from NSC and SGP. This legitimizes the fact that you can make drastic decisions about minorities based on gut feelings. Then you shouldn’t be surprised if something like this is followed in society.’

Do you also feel personally affected by the adoption of this motion?’

‘Yes, it strengthens my belief that I must continue to fight for full rights for transgender people. Because apparently I live in a country in which the political majority considers me a second-class citizen. That’s pretty intense. While transgender people already have to deal with a lot of discrimination, violence and exclusion. This motion is yet another blow.’