PFC Newsletter Number Nine
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Newsletter Number Nine
(December 1997)
Produced and Edited by Alex Whinnom
In this issue
The Labour Party conference | Constituency Links | International | Research study | European Courts | Gender Identity Research and Education Society | Nottingham Health Authority | Proposed documentaries | “Let Me Out of Here” | Press Coverage | Employment consultation | Treatment on the NHS | Presenting the petition | We won the Lottery! | Insurance | New SOC? | Parliamentary forum | “Sex-swop councillors” ! | Passports | Photos of children | Transsexual birth parents | Local and Media Networks | Transagender for the Next Millenium | Membership | E-mail lists | Northern Gendys ConferenceLabour Party conference ![[top]](/graphic/icon/blueptru.gif)
| Brighton, 29 Sept/3 Oct 1997
Firstly a huge THANK YOU to the hundreds of people who responded to our very short notice appeal for funding a stall. We raised the necessary £4,000 in the space of six weeks! There were some large donations, but the bulk of the money came in small amounts from many individuals. This was a tremendous vote of confidence for Press for Change. We don’t think we let you down: The stall was above all a superb opportunity to get to the heart of the new government. We were offered it at short notice, and the conference organisers implied that it was not entirely an accident that we were lucky. The stall was visited by several important dignitaries: Cherie Booth (Mrs. Blair) made a point of coming early in the week, fresh from her victory for Grant versus South West Trains at the European Court of Justice. Mo Mowlem, Glenda Jackson, Paul Boateng and Tessa Jowell were all photographed with us also. Many MPs visited, saying their constituents had told them they should (well done constituents!). Hundreds of conference delegates stopped to sign the petition, almost all were already aware of the issue (a refreshing change from having to explain it all from scratch!), and many said they felt sure we would get what we wanted. We took the opportunity to visit all the other stalls, and made many useful contacts in Trade Unions and other groups. Our own fringe meeting was well attended, and extremely professionally presented; a pity more MPs didn’t come though. We sent representatives to a fringe meeting on the subject of the incorporation of the European Convention of Human Rights into British Law, at which Jack Straw was one of the speakers, and were able to put a question to the Solicitor General: “In view of this government’s commitment to ending discrimination against all minority groups, will it be dropping its opposition to Sheffield and Horsham, and when may we expect some action to ensure equality for transsexual and transgender people?” The Solicitor General looked a bit exhausted as he replied: “I can’t yet give you an answer about Sheffield and Horsham, but I do assure you that we are very much aware of the issue, and for what it is worth, we are sympathetic”. Reading between the lines, this is about as positive as you could hope for in the context. Those of us who went to the conference felt it was well worth having done it, just this once. It really has raised the profile of PFC - and the issues we are standing for - within the Labour Party at the right moment in time. Thanks to Christine and Andrea for their organisation, and to all those many people who helped on the stall and attended the fringe meeting. |
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Alex Whinnom, Christine Burns, Mo Mowlem MP and Michelle Wilson at the PFC stall 
Myka Scott and Glenda Jackson MP
Tessa Jowell MP, Christine Burns, and Frank Hanna |
Constituency Links
Thanks to all who have contacted us to offer to be “Constituency Links”, acting as a contact with their MP. We have covered quite a number of MPs but still need many more names. It is not a hard job: you would need to visit and introduce yourself (if you haven’t already) and be willing to visit, phone and/or write now and again to remind the MP that you exist and to ask them to do specific things to help.
To volunteer please write in giving your contact details and the name and party of your MP.
International
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 Dana International |
Research study
“Deciding to be (and not to be) different”
We have a request for help from a student as follows:
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I am at present working on a piece of research for an MSc in Human Sexuality. The project will investigate the factors which influence people to change (and not to change) gender. The study will look particularly at male-to-female transsexuals. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who would be willing to take part in the research. Complete confidentiality will be maintained throughout the study. If you are interested or would like to know more please contact me at:
Andrew Charnock, University of Wales College of Medicine,
School of Nursing Studies, Caerleon Education Centre, Grounds of St. Cadoc’s Hospital, Caerleon, Gwent NP9 1XR
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European Courts
Grant v. SW Trains
European Court of Justice
The verdict in the case of the Lesbian employee of South West trains, whose partner was refused the rights to free travel etc. that other unmarried partners enjoy, was announced on 1st October - in her favour.
The case was a follow-on from “P versus S and Cornwall County Council” (the landmark case giving employment rights to transsexual people) and has potentially enormous implications for transsexual as well as for gay and lesbian couples: logically, taking Grant as a precedent, “same sex” couples are entitled to the same rights as unmarried “opposite sex” couples. We should consider pension rights, inheritance, tax concessions, parental rights etc.
Sheffield and Horsham v UK
European Court of Human Rights
Sheffield and Horsham claim a violation of Articles 8, 12 and 14 of the European Declaration of Human Rights. The Commission have referred the case to the European Court of Human Rights on all three grounds, and it will be heard on 24th February 1998.
Please note : it will be several months after that before we hear a verdict.
PFC is working closely with the barrister to provide the best possible evidence. It must be new evidence. In particular we need anyone who is a foreign national and who transitioned and married abroad, but is now resident in the UK - they would be asked to sign an affidavit (anonymous).
The Gender Identity Research and
Education Society
Press for Change activists Bernard Reed and Yvonne Wingfield have been hard at work setting up a charity, which is now going for registration with the Charity Commission.
An inaugural meeting was held on 29th October 1997. The proposed objects are as follows :
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Please note: these may have to be slightly amended if the Charity Commission so advises.
The idea is to allow the charity to take on - and expand - the current work of Press for Change in the areas of publication of information, education and training, research and support for students. PFC itself cannot be a charity, being of its nature political, but it makes sense to siphon off some of our activities into a charity, especially as the range of our activities continues to expand.
Nottingham Health Authority
As announced in the last newsletter, a group of people in Nottingham have succeeded in getting the HA to adopt good practice guidelines.
Copies of the guidelines themselves, and advice (compiled by Cherrie Button of Nottingham) on how to copy this achievement elsewhere, are now available from PFC, and work has begun with several other Health Authorities.
Cherrie does make one very important plea:
“The one thing I would ask anyone reading this important document is that they do so in an unselfish way.
“I know what an opportunity this will seem to all who have come up against brick walls and bans - and I can’t blame anyone.
“But if there is a sudden influx of transsexuals into Nottingham, they will pull the plug or not renew funding. It would be more to the advantage to all concerned to take this information and use it wisely within their own HAs.”
In other words, don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg - go and hatch more goslings!
If you would like a copy of the guidelines and notes, please see the Resources List.
Proposed documentaries
We are approached fairly often by independent producers wishing to make documentaries on transsexual topics; usually the ideas come to nothing, but occasionally bear spectacular fruit (as in “The Wrong Body” and “Thanks a Bunch Lord Ormrod”).
Can anyone help with the following? If you would be prepared to talk to the programme researcher and/or appear on television, please get in touch — by email or by post to
Press for Change, BM Network, London WC1N 3XX- Experience of Prison :
If you are currently a prisoner, have ever been in prison or in custody, or know someone who has. - Access to Children :
If you are a birth parent who has had problems retaining access to your children, or have had unreasonable conditions placed upon access. - Working in the Sex Industry : If you have worked or currently work in it, either pre or post reassignment.
“Let Me Out of Here”
Chrissie Cochrane has produced a CD of her own original compositions, which includes three transsexual-relevant tracks. The music is “modern folk style”, pleasant listening and very professionally presented.
Chrissie is kindly donating one third of the price of each CD sold through Press for Change. If you have you can hear a sample on Chrissie’s web site.
If you would like to order a copy, please see the Resources List.
Press Coverage
Five years of working with the media really have paid off … it’s official : being transsexual is no longer news!
This summer we tried extremely hard to drum up media interest, approaching all our contacts - first over our Labour Party Conference fringe meeting, then over the presentation of the Petition. Five years ago, the simple presence of a large group of transsexual people would have been sufficient to attract hordes of journalists (though the coverage mightn’t have been quite what we’d like). Now, in 1997, 50 transsexual people can march into the House of Commons without anyone turning a hair. And though reporters, photographers and ITV were present, we didn’t (as far as we know) receive any actual coverage. Well, it was very disappointing, but it’s a victory of a sort.
Press for Change is always grateful to receive press cuttings, especially those relating to legal challenges or injustices. We have a large collection which is proving to be a useful resource for research students.
Germaine Greer got short shrift when she “outed” colleague Rachael Padman in the national press earlier this year - Dr. Padman received vociferous support. But there have been some particularly poisonous recent examples of local newspapers running “exposees” of transsexual people:
If you notice a hostile, intrusive or degrading article, please do THREE things:
- write to the editor and complain
- send details and the address of the editor to PFC and we will also complain
- if you know the “victim”, persuade them to complain to the Press Complaints Commission (only the subject of the article can do this).
Employment consultation
Press for Change has been approached by Andrew Smith of the Department for Education and Employment following our mailshot to all new MPs. Mr. Smith’s letter states that:
“the Government is committed to implementing the ECJ ruling in the case of “P”, which has established that the European Equal Treatment Directive covers not just sex discrimination in employment, but also discrimination on grounds of sex change. I am glad that so far Industrial Tribunals have successfully interpreted the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. However the ruling does raise a number of complex issues which require careful consideration and consultation with others…”
We have set up a working party consisting of 5 PFC activists with specialist knowledge of this field.
They need your contributions and suggestions in order to ensure the proposed guidelines cover all the necessary areas.
Please write in to Jan Doerfel c/o Press for Change with any suggestions or areas where you can see possible problems for transsexual people in employment, whether from your own experience or not.
You can contact Jan either by Email or by writing to:
Press for Change, BM Network, London WC1N 3XXTreatment on the NHS
One of the issues raised at the Petition press conference was treatment for transsexualism on the NHS, with concern being expressed both about access to treatment and about the quality of treatment.
We hope to be able to compile a dossier of evidence based on a number of individual accounts which would go to Frank Dobson MP.
More details in the next newsletter.
Presenting the petition
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At Number Ten: |
We presented the Press for Change Petition at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday 29th October. The final tally was just over 9,000 signatures. Thank you to all who worked so hard to collect signatures, and to all who turned out on the day - it was wonderful to see such a crowd.
Having presented the petition we marched to the House of Commons carrying the banner and held a press conference in the Jubilee Room.
People who came expressed a mixture of feelings - disappointment in the lack of media coverage and lack of MPs, pride and excitement at the presence of such a big group of transsexual people openly protesting on the streets of London.
In a way the presentation marks the end of an era. The petition was started in the early days, when it was one of very few ways in which we thought we could possibly get the attention of government. We are now very well known to government and furthermore, well respected. The connecting lines between us and the centres of power are shorter and stronger: consider the response of the Solicitor General at Brighton, the invitation to consultation from the DfEE….
Nevertheless the presentation of the petition was a historic event: never before in the UK has there been a large group of transsexual and transgender people out on the streets publicly lobbying for our civil rights.
We have received an acknowledgement from the Home Office, to which the petition had been passed. This may give a clue on which is the “lead” department for transsexual equal rights?
See also a fuller account and assessment of the day: The end of a chapter
We won the Lottery!
The UK National Lottery Charities Board (the same body which made a 3 year £30,000 grant to the Gender Trust earlier this year) has agreed a small one-year grant of £1,535 to PFC under the Voluntary Sector Development category, for a North West region pilot of a “train the trainer” initiative.
Under the plan set out in our application we will train PFC local campaigners and volunteers to run a set of 5 workshops at different venues for staff and volunteers of voluntary agencies (CABx, Housing Aid, Samaritans, L&G Helplines etc.). The idea is to enable them to provide a better service to transgendered clients. If the pilot is successful, we hope to obtain a further grant to go national.
The pilot will run during 1998
If you live in the North West, we need your involvement:
- Are you interested in being trained as a workshop leader?
- Do you have contact details for organisations eligible for training?
Please write in now.
Insurance
We are still keen for people to consider arranging financial services through Press for Change, in order to enable us to work with some of the major companies to change policies regarding transsexual people. If you need life insurance, a pension or mortgage, or may do in the next 12 months, please contact:
Jim Sealey on 01244 822637 (mention Press For Change)
Or write to him at :CH Financial Services
23 Chorley Old Road
Bolton BL1 3AD
(For background information, see our story on how a transsexual woman was initially refused health insurance)
New Standards of Care?
The Harry Benjamin standards of care - much quoted, much flouted, - have not been revised since 1990. They have also come under much criticism for paying far too much attention to the protection of practitioners, and too little to the distress of the patients.
The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association has finally got some transgendered people onto its Board, and has asked for opinions from the client group on a revision of its SOC. Many transsexual people are lobbying for positive changes. We can but hope…
Parliamentary forum
There will be a meeting of the Forum in December, the first since the election. This is a chance for supportive MPs to meet with representatives of Press for Change and look at what can be done to further civil rights issues within the context of Parliament.
On the agenda, besides the obvious, are trying to get “gender dysphoria” re-listed as an intersex condition (and perhaps changing its name) and access to treatment on the NHS.
Please note this is not an open meeting, but any MP may attend.
If your MP misses this meeting, please encourage them to contact Lynne Jones MP for the minutes and an invitation to the next one.
“Sex-swop Councillors” doubled?
or something like that…
There was already one known transsexual person serving as a local councillor in the UK: Mark Rees in Kent, who was elected as an openly transsexual man and enjoys the full support of his community. Mark wasn’t actually the first: a transexual woman, Rachael Webb, had previously served as a councillor in the London Borough of Lambeth.
In Bristol this summer a recently elected Labour Councillor decided to “change over”. This was potentially another kettle of fish. But Rosalind Mitchell, as she is now known, was able to make the transition with little fuss and a minimum of good humoured media coverage, and is happily working in her new role. She received support and advice from her MP, her union and from PFC.
There area many transpeople involved in politics at different levels, not all of them publicly identified. Ros has now doubled the number of serving transsexual councillors … as far as we know!
Yet another triumph for common sense. Next stop Westminster?
Passports
There have been a number of enquiries recently from people having problems getting a passport in their new name. A PFC member has obtained clarification from the Passport Agency itself:
“There are clear guidelines laid down by our headquarters for dealing with applicants who are undergoing GRS. To ensure consistency, a nominated officer in each regional office deals with all such applications. Providing the Agency is satisfied that the gender reassignment is, or is likely to remain, permanent, a full ten year passport will be issued. However there may be other reasons which prevent a fully valid passport being issued.
“I have spoken with Miss Anne Scovell, who is the officer at our HQ responsible for formulating policy on GRS applications. She is happy to look at individual cases where a restricted validity passport has been issued. She can be contacted on 0171-271 8733 or by post at Room 236, UKPA Headquarters, Clive House, 70-78 Petty France, LONDON SW14 9HD”
Photos of children
Many thanks to all the people who have sent in photos of themselves as children. It is interesting that in many photos the eventual sex of the child is very obvious with hindsight.
Transsexual birth parents
PFC has a volunteer, herself a transsexual birth father, who has offered to co-ordinate the publication of a “good advice booklet” for transsexual parents and for the courts dealing with the issue, to promote good practice and anti-discrimination, and to help parents know what judgements to cite in their support.
If you are a birth parent, either someone who has had or is having problems over access to your children, or alternatively someone who has had a good experience in the courts, we would appreciate your writing in with more information. In return we may be able to help you.
The PFC Local and Media Networks
The Local Network has over 40 signed-up members. If you have requested the Local Campaigning Pack but have not returned your registration sheet, PLEASE RETURN IT! You can then receive any briefings and be put in touch with the Local Contact who is co-ordinating work in your area.
If you think you might be interested in local campaigning please send for the Introduction to the PFC Local & Media Networks.
Transagender for the Next Millenium
Press for Change Conference 1998
The Third International Congress on Sex and Gender will be hosted by Press for Change at Exeter College, Oxford, from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th September 1998.
Louis Gooren, Prof. of Transsexuality at the Free University Hospital Amsterdam will be the keynote speaker. Other speakers will include Jonathon Cooper of Justice (formerly Legal Director at Liberty), Dr. Stephen Whittle (winner of the ICTLEP Transgender Advocate Award 1996) and Dr. Susan Stryker of the San Francisco LGBT History Project and Berkeley University.
The conference is aimed at academics, service professionals and trans community members and service providers working in the area of transgender civil rights and liberties, and is expected to highlight international good practice and to make recommendations for the future.
There will be a number of places reserved for Press for Change activists, and a fringe programme running alongside part of the academic programme will cover the skills and knowledge needed for more effective campaigning in the UK.
Keep your diaries free.
Membership
Membership of Press for Change is open to all transsexual and transgendered people and any member of the public who wishes to support the aims and work of the organisation. No membership fee is charged. The main benefits of membership are that members receive the newsletter free of charge, may call on Press for Change for resources and advice, and may if they wish volunteer as Key Activists or Local Networkers.
People resident in the UK and currently on either the PFC mailing list or the Boys Own mailing list are deemed to be members unless you have requested otherwise. People who sign up to the on-line newslist UKPFC-News and are resident in the UK will also be automatically be made members unless they request otherwise.
If you receive the newsletter only occasionally via the Gender Trust or Beaumont Society or any other of the various support groups, you may NOT be on the Press for Change mailing list and so may not be a member. If you’d like to be a member, ensure you receive more regular news and/or would like to get more involved in the campaign, please write in to the PFC address. All contact details are kept totally confidential and are never passed on to anyone without your consent; Press for Change mailings come in plain brown envelopes to the name and address of your choice.
If you would like a copy of the “Rules” of the organisation please see the Resource List.
Press For Change e-mail lists
- PFC-News for regular news updates
- UKPFC-Forum for discussion and policy development
The lists are managed by Claire McNab and Kathleen Redding, with help from several others.
The forum has really taken off as a superb medium in which to debate and refine difficult areas of policy and share knowledge and experience. It has also shown it can react quickly in emergencies.
Northern Gendys Conference
Newcastle, April 1997
Copies of the Conference Proceedings are still available at £10 including p+p: spiral bound volume of 170 pages or on compact disc (please specify). If you would like a copy please write to the The Gendys Network at BM Gendys, London WC1N 3XX or email them at gendys@boltblue.com
