Trans people deserve more than tokenism

Except if you’re a Palace supporter.

Or in a motor car.

And, apparently, if you are trans.

The first exception is quite obvious, given the well-known fact that Seagulls and Eagles do not get on.

The second is often muttered as a gripe by those trying to get anywhere in the congested city centre before finding they need to remortgage their homes to pay for a place to park.

But the issue with those identifying themselves as trans is a little more of a surprise.

As the country’s LGBT capital you would have thought that of all places, the city would be the exception to the rule.

But once again we’ve seen how efforts to encourage people to be open-minded about this topic have been counter-productive and resulted in a media storm.

Last week letters confirming primary school places were sent out to parents of three and four-year-olds across the city.

A form issued by Brighton and Hove City Council asking for information said: “We recognise that not all children and young people identify with the gender they were assigned at birth or may identify as a gender other than male or female, however the current systems (set nationally) only record gender as male or female.”

In some ways it’s quite brave of the local authority to think about raising such questions with parents and children at an early stage.

But rather than sitting down and thinking about the best way to approach it with those who know how, it appears to have been rushed through by the unelected bureaucrats as a bit of small print, a token gesture to merely tick an equalities box and make themselves feel like they are helping further awareness around the issue.

The result is rather than helping approach a sensitive topic in a calm way, it has provoked panic, even disgust and isolated people yet further.

Do I understand parents’ worry? Of course I do.

At the age of four I could barely use a toilet properly, never mind making a concious decision around whether it was the male or female one I should be walking into.

I’m also reliably informed that I enjoyed playing with dolls just as much as kicking a football about.

But that does not mean that everyone is the same and that support should not be provided to those who do feel isolated.

Many of you will be surprised to hear that 3,000 people in the city identify themselves as trans – more than one out of every 100 people living here.

In comparison, the figure nationwide is just 0.3 per cent or one in 300.

But just because the city is home to a large number of trans people, it does not mean that more young people born here are likely to question their gender.

The fact is out of about 1,800 children going to primary school in the city in September, about six will at some point not identify with the gender they were born with.

Many more than that will have mental health issues, display violent behaviour or unhealthy obsessions.

In all of these cases, parents will have probably identified this from an early age.

The right thing to do is not ask a parent to write this on an official form but to make sure they know they can discuss it in a sensitive way, face to face with a teacher.

The issues around discussing gender identity should be left to the experts, to those working for charities such as the amazing Brighton charity Allsorts, which holds gender awareness classes for those under the age of 11 every week, not to mandarins who have no expertise on the topic.

Palace fans and those driving motor vehicles may have the odd whinge about receiving a raw deal from our inclusive city.

But the one per cent identifying as trans surely deserve a lot more than some tokenism small print.

The Brighton Marathon has fast become my favourite event in the city’s calender.

Somehow every year the sun comes out to greet the runners – and this year I took full advantage.

I decided to sit back and enjoy a fry-up at Southwick’s Carats Cafe while the runners ran by.

Some have suggested that I should put the shoe on the other foot next year and take part.

But to make it clear, I’ve decided my talents are put to use far better use on the sidelines cheering people on.