Government Working Group

My officials will chair an inter-departmental Working Group on transsexuals. This will have the following terms of reference:

“To consider, with particular reference to birth certificates, the need for appropriate legal measures to address the problems experienced by transsexuals, having due regard to scientific and societal developments, and measures undertaken in other countries to deal with this issue.”
Home Secretary Jack Straw’s announcement of the working group, in a House of Commons written answer, April 1999.

Report

We’ve made the report available in several different formats, depending on how you want to read it. If you want to print out all 69 pages of it, the PDF version will be the easiest; for reading on-screen, HTML will be easier.

Report of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Transsexual People in Adobe Acrobat PDF format (450Kb)
Full text of the Report Of The Interdepartmental Working Group On Transsexual People: in HTML format, one file per section — for easier browsing (Home Office 2000-07-26)
Full text of the Report Of The Interdepartmental Working Group On Transsexual People: in HTML format, as one large file (Home Office 2000-07-26) — (Size 297Kb)
A ZIPped (compressed) version of the Report Of The Interdepartmental Working Group On Transsexual People: in HTML format, which you can uncompress for viewing off-line — requires PkZIP, WinZIP, or equivalent software to uncompress. (Size 94Kb)

Submissions

Recognising the Identity and Rights of Trans People — Press For Change’s submission to the Inter-Departmental Working Group, June 1999 (Size: 188Kb)
… and an Adobe Acrobat version (173Kb)
Liberty’s submission (Size: 66Kb)
Submission to the working group from “Margaret Griffiths” of the Mermaids support group for trans youth and their families
GIRES submission
The Beaumont Society’s submission
Meeting the needs of transsexual people: presentation to the working group, January 2000
The Problems of Gender Re-Registration: further submissions to the working group (Feb 2000)

Press Releases

Transsexual leaders welcome government report (PFC 2000-07-26)
Working group report on transsexuals published: government press release (Home Office 2000-07-26)
Transsexual leaders give cautious welcome to government working group (PFC 1999-04-14)

Commentary and analysis

101 Unequal Ways to Try to Treat You Equally: Christine Burns analyses the report of the Government’s Interdepartmental Working group (PFC 2000-07-30)
Legal Recognition: The Start Of The Next Phase. We don’t know the details … and there’s a long way to go, warns Claire McNab (PFC 2000-07-22)
The waiting game: report is on ministers’ desks (PFC 2000-05-04)
Government starts talking: trans people meet the Inter-departmental Working Group (PFC 2000-03-22)
The working group: a victory so far: Claire McNab explains why the government’s latest moves are a victory, but only a partial one … and that we now have a lot of work to do (PFC 1999-04-19)

Parliament

Commons written answers: status of transsexual people Home Secretary replies to Lynne Jones MP announcing publication of the report of the Inter-departmental working group, 2000-07-26
Commons written answers: Progress of Inter-departmental Working Group. Home Office, Peter Pike MP, 2000-07-17
Commons written answers: Activities of Inter-departmental Working Group. Home Office, Tim Boswell MP, 2000-07-12
Commons written answers: Meetings with Inter-departmental Working Group. Home Office, Evan Harris MP, 2000-06-28
Commons written answers: Meetings with Inter-departmental Working Group. Home Office, Jackie Ballard MP, 2000-02-15
Commons written answers: Inter-Departmental Working Group Home Office, Graham Brady MP, 1999-07-28
Commons written answers: ministerial oversight of inter-departmental working group Home Office, Brian Cotter MP, 1999-05-06
Lords written answers: status of transsexual people Home Office minister replies to Baroness Gould announcing establishment of working group, 1999-04-15
Commons written answers: status of transsexual people Home Secretary replies to Lynne Jones MP announcing establishment of working group, 1999-04-14

Law

European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
The Human Rights Act 1998: incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law

News coverage

Transsexuals offered hope in new report (Yorkshire Post 2000-07-31)
UK Trans* Law Reform Published (PlanetOut 2000-07-27)
Transsexuals could win full legal recognition (Ananova/PA 2000-07-26)
Sex swap couples may be allowed to marry: government to publish consultation paper on a change in civil status (Daily Telegraph 2000-07-22)
Transsexual weddings are condemned: Evangelical Alliance opposes change to birth certs (Sunday Telegraph 2000-05-14)
Transsexuals may be allowed to marry (The Independent 1999-04-15)
Law could be changed for transsexuals (BBC 1999-04-15)
Cabinet Office Papers Leaked: After P v S and the Alex Carlile Bill, the government started examining trans issues (PFC June 1996)