WHO is this site for?

This site is for ALL trans people, in the UK and further afield, who wish to know their rights, and to have them embodied in law as their legal rights.

Trans People?

The term trans as in trans man, trans woman, trans community, trans people etc. is a very British term, coining in the 1960s when a well known member of parliament uttered the words;

“transgender, transsexual, transvestite – this gets so confusing – there must surely be one word we can use to refer to all of them”   

One trans  joker around the table suggested “transistor radios” and following that up, another trans wit said “that’s it: trannie”, and then the trans voice of reason said that might be objectionable to some  ‘trans’ people, at which point the term "trans" came into being.

Who is included in the ‘trans community’?

Everybody who experiences their gender identity, or wishes to express their gender in a way which is different from that which is expected of someone of their sex as assigned at birth.

This includes amongst others:

Transvestite people are primarily male born, They now cross-dress, or in the past have cross-dressed, as a woman on a part time basis, i.e. they occasionally enjoy  wearing the clothing of a person of a different  gender than that expected of someone of their sex as assigned at birth.  A significant number of transvestite or cross-dresser people will seek to live in both genders - maybe as a female whilst at home or going out socially, and a male when going to work. It may include a person who might wish to permanently cross dress and live in their preferred gender role in the future, but who for personal and family reasons feels unable to do so at the moment.

Transgender is used in North America as the equivalent term to trans.  In that context it is an inclusive, umbrella term used to cover all people who identify in any way as a gender different to their birth gender. In the UK though, it tends to be used t will includes people who decide to live permanently in their preferred gender role but also those who decide to live a dual life, going to work in one gender role, but spending all of their time outside of work in the opposite role for example.

Intersex people are different to most trans people. Being intersex is a relatively rare medical condition whereas babies are born with male and female features. These features may be internal and not visible and in many cases will not be known of until the person becomes an adult. Parents of a baby known to be intersex, with guidance from medical staff, will make a choice as to which gender their baby should be raised. A small number of intersex people raised in one gender want to transition to the other gender, when they become an adult, and some will see themselves as a member of the trans community, but by no means all.

Gender-variant people include those who identify as not beign sure what they feel as their gender. They may be young adults or even children, who feel they do not 'fit' in their socially assigned gender, but who have not yet determined how they might categorise themselves, or whether they want gender reassignment treatments in the future. Young children, aged between 4 and 12, or adults with learning difficulties may simply experience a general discordance with their gender, or some might be quite clear in their thoughts saying "I want to be" or "I am" a boy (or a girl).

Older children and young adults (age 11 to 18+) may also be investigating for themselves what they see their gender role as being. Some might be quite clear in saying they wish to have gender reassignment, others may not be so sure.

Some adults may also identify as gender variant, feeling either that they do not have a gender, or they might refer to themselves as bi or poly gendered. Gender Variant people may also include those who feel that their gender identity cannot fit with the common male/female categories