Press For Change Newsletter No.3, November 1995
MONEY
1. Funding
Current balance stlg905. Donations are of course always needed and we would also like to recruit one or more fundraisers to raise money from outside the transsexual community. Please write to PFC if you would be willing to take on this job.
Thanks to everyone who has donated or raised money - please keep it up.
COURT CASES
2. Birth Certificate Case
This case challenges the practice of the British Government since the Ormerod judgement of refusing to alter the birth certificates of transsexual people to reflect gender reassignment. As we told you in May, the plaintiff obtained leave for judicial review. A hearing is expected early in 1996. The original plaintiff has been replaced by four new plaintiffs who have qualified for legal aid. More would be welcome - please contact Press for Change. Please note however that you must be unemployed to qualify for legal aid.
We are still gathering evidence and would be extremely grateful to hear from anyone who considers themself to be transsexual and who succeeded in having their birth certificate altered prior to 1971.
3. Privacy Case
The National Council for Civil Liberties (Liberty) still has plans to bring a Group Action on behalf of Press for Change to the European Court of Human Rights on the grounds of violations of privacy.
The case is on hold temporarily, partly because of a disappointing shortage of volunteers, and partly to await the result of cases currently before the Court.
In the meantime, anyone interested can contact either Press for Change or Jon Wadham at
Liberty direct: NCCL,
21, Tabard Street,
LONDON SE1 4LA
Tel: 0171-403 3888
4. Cases currently before the European Courts
(a) News was expected last month of the employment case (P. v S and Cornwall County Council) which was referred to the European Court of Justice. However a judgement has been postponed - But keep your eyes on the newspapers - we expect it any day now.
(b) The fatherhood case (X, Y and Z v HM Government) has finally been reported on by the European Commission in September. The Commission have decided that there is a case to be answered. The case will now go before the European Court of Human Rights. This will be in 18 months time. The general tone of the Commission’s report was very encouraging.
(c) On 1st December there will be a preliminary hearing of a case brought by an individual transsexual, claiming violations of Articles 8, 12, 13, 14 and 50 of the European Declaration of Human Rights. Most of these have been challenged before and there are no new circumstances. However the plaintiff will argue that important changes in medical and social views have occurred since previous judgements.
5. Challenging the Health Authorities
A firm of solicitors in Sheffield have expressed interest in pursuing a case on behalf of any TS who is refused access to treatment or surgery because of lack of funding by their local health authority (as long as they have followed the reccomended guidelines as contained in the Harry Benjamin standards of care, as followed by Charing Cross). The contact is:
Georgina Hirsch or Anne Harrison,
at John Howell & Co, Solicitors,
The Avery Building,
15-17 Bridge St,
Sheffield, S3 8NL.
Tel: 0114 249 6666.
If you seek their help please let us know so that we can follow the case, and give what help we can.
One of our activists is compiling information about Health Authorities attitudes to funding surgery for transsexual people. It seems that many authorities are refusing to fund and this is a worrying trend.
If you have any knowledge, particularly WRITTEN EVIDENCE of the attitude of your own Health Authority, please contact Press for Change.
6. Industrial Tribunal
A parent of a transsexual woman who was harassed and dismissed from employment by a major company is looking for supporters who would be prepared to attend the companyAEs AGM in May 1996. The idea is to raise questions regarding good practice in the context of the case being brought to Industrial Tribunal, rather than to cause a riot! Travel expenses paid. If you would be interested in helping, please contact PFC for more details.
INFLUENCING POLITICIANS
7. Party Conferences
Press for Change held fringe meetings at the Labour and the Conservative Party Conferences in October. The press was present at both. MPs, who attended, all said they were there because they had been approached by transsexual constituents! - WHO OF COURSE HAD VISITED BECAUSE OF PRESS FOR CHANGE!.
Many thanks to all those activists who helped on the days, especially Dr’s Richard Green and Don Montgomery from the Charing Cross GIC., and to all who have visited their MPs. But special thanks must go to Liz and Christine for their organisation.
8. Sympathetic MP’s
We are constantly updating our list of sympathetic MPs and it now contains nearly 80 names. Keep us informed when you have visited your MP.
9. Parliamentary Questions
If you have a personal experience which could form the basis for a question, or an idea for a question, please let Press for Change know, or write directly to Alex Carlile QC MP at the House of Commons, quoting Press for Change.
10. Lobbying Parliament
We are planning a lobby of Parliament next year, probably in May 1996. We want as many transsexuals, friends and families as possible to converge on the House of Commons, having written to ask your MP to meet you there. [We hope to present the petition, but we need 5000 signatures at least, of which we only have 1400 signatures so far] We are hopeful of creating a powerful impact through a large number of lobbyists. This is NOT an ‘in your face’ event, but rather a ‘Sunday best’ outing, a chance to walk the corridors of power, and to have some influence.
It does NOT require you be ‘OUT’. Publicity will ALL be fronted by those PFC activists who are already Out, and anyone else who wants to use the opportunity. This is a serious, respctable event.
The press is not admitted to such events, so there is no risk of lobbyists receiving unwanted publicity.
IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO JOIN THE LOBBY, PLEASE CONTACT PRESS FOR CHANGE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
11. Euro-MPs
We now have an activist who is co-ordinating the lobbying of MEPs, and an MEP, Mel Read, who is acting as contact for a cross party group. If you haven’t yet been to see your Euro-MP, please go.
OTHER SUPPORT
12. Trade Unions
We have sent information to 120 of the major unions asking them to:
- include ‘gender identity’ in their Equal Opportunities policies and any other relevant documents
- affiliate to Press for Change and make a donation
- liaise with Press for Change when acting on behalf of transsexual members or client groups
As a result of targetting the TU’s, NAPO (the Union for Probation Workers) is now affiliated to Press for Change, both nationally and locally (four branches so far) and we are currently in discussions with UNISON. PFC Activists have been invited to speak at branch meetings.
13. Patrons
The following influential public figures have agreed to act as patrons of Press for Change:
Lord Beaumont
Nicholas Blake QC
Alex Carlile QC MP
Edwina Curry MP
Ven. Dr. Mark Dalby Lord Leicester QC
Ken Livingstone MP
Rev. Dr. Leslie Griffiths
Rabbi Julia Neuberger
Claire Rayner
14. The Church of England
All 43 Bishops of the Church of England have been contacted by Press for Change. 30 replies have been received to date, mostly sympathetic. The C of E Board of Social Responsibility wishes to adopt a consistent approach and is in discussion with PFC activists.
PUBLICITY
15. Television
The Open Space documentary shown in September under the heading of ‘The Day That Changed My Life’ and made with the full co-operation of PFC, showed its transsexual subject as an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation and highlighted civil rights issues.
The programme was written up in the Guardian, the Times, the Independent and Time Out and we received many letters of support.
PFC Activists have also done a Radio Scotland phone-in, Kilroy, The Frost programme, GMTV, and numerous magazine articles.
16. The Internet
There has recently been extensive discussion about transsexual rights on CompuServe, which should now be accessible in the CompuServe Forum Library for at least six months. If you have a Compuserve account you can access the material in the UK Politics Forum Library as a WP document indexed under TS or PFC. Or if you have Windows on your PC, you can obtain a copy from PFC by sending a blank diskette and an s.a.e.
Press For Change now has its own home page on the Internet courtesy of The Plaid, Scotlands TG page. You can access PFC’s pages via:
http://ww2.wintermute.co.uk/users/snuffles/The_Plaid/PFC/index.html
17. Gay Pride March
We hope to have a section in next year’s London Gay Pride march. We are seeking TG’s and TS’s who will pledge themselves to participate.
Being out doesn’t mean you have to be on television! it can also mean a lot of other things - but we need YOU to come and take part. Your families, and friends are very welcome to march with us. Isn’t it about time we made ourselves heard, and we got our potential allies to take us seriously. Make a pledge to MARCH IN PRIDE ’96 by writing to PFC at:
BM Network,
London, WC1N 3XX
18.Publicity materials available
Materials are available free of charge - just ring or write.
We’d like to see information dispersed as widely as possible e.g. to health professionals, social workers, local politicians, unions, national organizations, churches etc. or to anyone who may be interested or supportive. At present we have available:
- Campaign Packs
- ***** NEW A4 folded leaflets: general, employment, marriage, the law
- A4 double sided posters with photos
- series of PFC adverts for insertion in journals etc
19. Material Needed
(a) PHOTOGRAPHS: Black and white or colour, are needed of TS’s and TG’s who are willing to have them used on campaigning leaflets.
NAMES WILL NOT BE USED - they don’t have to be studio portraits, the more naturalistic the better - but we need to see your face (even if small). ALL the PFC activists have supplied photos (with a bit of arm twisting).
We are also seeking photos of you with friends or family, so we can draw attention to how 1 person in the photograph is discriminated against. No names or other identifiers will be used - but we need your support to help us get this campaign on the road. Your friends or family must agree in writing to the photograph being used.
(b) SHORT LIVES of successful transsexual people are also needed to include in publicity material which aims to refute the image of TS people as ‘mad’ or ‘inadequate’ - again these would be used anonymously.
Please write to PFC with brief details if you would be prepared to supply a positive role model.
20. A Symbol
We are seeking a ‘symbol’ which transcends a variety of boundaries. We wish to show our support and allegaince to other transgender groups worldwide, and to all groups which are fighting the heterosexist/homophobic elements of society. We also wish to find a symbol which allows all our supporters, tg or not, out or not to show their discreet support.
Somebody suggested a White Triangle - they said it had been used by Transsexuals at the Stonewall ’94 march. Is this the case, does anybody know if it is, why this was chosen? What do others think of the idea of having an international symbol?