In The News: 2000

Government working group | Court cases | Personal stories | Religion | Military | Changing the law | Changing attitudes | Medical funding | Ireland | Discrimination | Police & prisons | Crime | The Sunday Sermon | Other

Government working group

See also our special section on the govt working group, with all relevant documents (including the full text of the report and submissions), plus commentary, analysis, and parliamentary coverage.

• 101 Unequal Ways to Try to Treat You Equally: Christine Burns analyses the Working group’s report (PFC 2000-07-30)
• Transsexuals offered hope in new report (Yorkshire Post 2000-07-31)
• Working group report on transsexuals published: government press release (Home Office 2000-07-26)
• UK Trans* Law Reform Published (PlanetOut 2000-07-27)
• Transsexuals could win full legal recognition (Ananova/PA 2000-07-26)
• 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)
• Sex swap couples may be allowed to marry: government to publish consultation paper on a change in civil status (Daily Telegraph 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)
• Transsexual weddings are condemned: Evangelical Alliance opposes change to birth certs (Sunday Telegraph 2000-05-14)

Court cases

• The Bellinger case: Mrs Bellinger asks the court to declare her 20-year-old marriage valid:
  • Test case on status of ’male bride’: trans woman asks court to declare her marriage valid (The Guardian 2000-10-18)
  • Transsexual ’wedding’ ruled invalid: High Court rejects Mrs Bellinger’s claim (Evening Standard 2000-11-02)
  • Transwoman’s Marriage Invalidated: report of High Court decision on the Bellinger case (Planet Out 2000-11-02)
  • Marriage of transsexual outside law, says judge: High Court refuses application (The Guardian 2000-11-03)
  • See also July 2001: Appeals Court rejects appeal by majority of 2-1
• Pension rights: woman seeks right for her partner, a trans man, to inherit her NHS pension:
  • European court to rule on rights of transsexuals: NHS pensions/marriage case referred to European Court of Justice (The Guardian 2000-10-05)
  • Transsexual pension fight for EU court (Daily Telegraph 2000-10-05)
  • Transsexuals seek marriage rights: NHS pensions case referred to European Court of Justice (The Independent 1999-10-05)

Personal stories

• Through the Gender Labyrinth: How a bright boy with a penchant for tinkering grew up to be one of the top women in her high-tech field.  Pioneering computer scientist Lynn Conway tells her story (LA Times 2000-11-19)
• Breaking Chairs And Catching The Vultures: when trans people tell their story in the news media, it’s not always a free choice, says Claire McNab.
• The secret life of Cynthia Watson (The Independent 2000-10-16)
• What secret do these women share?…. they use to be men: five trans women tell their stories (The Mirror 2000-08-01)
• Forty years after my sex change I’m still treated as a joke, though I don’t get my face slapped any more: April Ashley interviewed as she returns briefly to England (The Express 2000-07-28)
• School bursar to return as woman (Daily Telegraph 2000-07-15)
• Sex-change Iranian hates life as woman … and wants to change back (The  Guardian 2000-06-20)
• Vicar plans sex change with support of parishioners and Bishop (BBC News 2000-06-19)
• ’It sounds silly but I’ve nothing to wear’: Cassandra Jardine meets Rev Peter Stone, the first Church of England vicar to have a sex change (Daily Telegraph 2000-06-23)
• An Inconvenient Woman: In order to turn the murdered American soldier Barry Winchell into a martyr for gay rights, activists first had to turn his girlfriend, Calpernia Addams, back into a man. (New York Times 2000-05-28)
• Secret double life of the Army war hero who died a woman: death of non-op trans woman is reported as that of a man (Daily Telegraph 2000-04-11)
  … and a reply by PFC vice-president Susan Marshall

Military

• RAF navigator has sex swap … and returns to duty (Daily Telegraph 2000-08-14)
• South Africa: Gays tell of mutilation by apartheid army: electric shocks, aversion therapy, and gender reassignment surgery (The Guardian 2000-07-29)

Religion

• Why This Priest Wants To Be A Woman: Roman Catholic priest transitions in New York state (New York Post 2000-02-15)
• Vicar plans sex change with support of parishioners and Bishop (BBC News 2000-06-19)
• Vicar can carry on preaching after sex change (Daily Telegraph 2000-06-20)
• I prayed every night I would awake as a girl says transsexual vicar (The Express 2000-06-20)
• Transsexual vicar to become Church’s first sex change priest (The Journal 2000-06-20)
• Vicar plans sex change (Swindon Evening Advertiser 2000-06-19)
• All change for transsexual vicar, with bishop’s blessing (Agence France Presse 2000-06-19)
• Sex change vicar returns to parish: Rev. Carol Stone of Upper Stratton, Swindon, Wiltshire (BBC 2000-11-28)
• Sex-change vicar tells how her prayers have been answered: Rev. Carol Stone returns to her parish (Daily Telegraph 2000-11-29)
• A new lease of life: Rev. Carol Stone prepares to face the world (Evening Advertiser 2000-11-28)
• The re-creation: Rev. Carol Stone tell the story of her gender transition (Evening Advertiser 2000-11-29)
• My answered prayer, by vicar in sex change (The Express 2000-11-29)
• Transsexual weddings are condemned: Evangelical Alliance opposes change to birth certs (Sunday Telegraph 2000-05-14)

Changing the law

• Marriages for transexuals to remain illegal: government sources confirm that there will be no legislation before the general election expected next year (The Independent 2000-11-18)
• When m’lud says justice ain’t my job: Claire McNab notes how UK courts don’t want to solve our problems, and how the government wants parliament to do the job (PFC 2000-11-05)
• Changing Times: Christine Burns interviewed about the social and political issues affecting the transgender community. (The Pink Paper 2000-10-31)
• Section 28 skirmish is prelude to a war on inequality: government plans further moves on its “equality agenda” (Daily Telegraph 2000-02-10)
• Rights Act will put British way of life on trial: the 1998 Human Rights Act will bring big changes in UK citizens’ relations with the state, and ministers have set up an internal audit of areas open to legal challenge. (The Observer 2000-02-13)
• Straw signs up for adoption of Euro human rights laws: The Human Rights act is to enter into force on 2nd Oct 2000 (Daily Telegraph 2000-07-13)
• Warning on Euro rights ’panic’: Home Secretary warns private bodies to view the Human Rights Act as an opportunity rather than a threat (Daily Telegraph 2000-03-30)

Changing attitudes

• A change in the gender agenda: discrimination against transsexual people is likely to become increasingly rare, reports Stephen Biscoe (Yorkshire Post 2000-05-04)
• Everybody needs some body: trans people used to be scared to come out, but now attitudes are changing (The Guardian 2000-01-19)

Medical funding

• Going the long way around: North-West Lancashire Health Authority makes heavy weather of a policy change (PFC 2000-02-05)
• Out of the Shadows: the story of Sheffield charity-worker Krystyna Haywood’s battle for gender reassignment surgery. (The Pink Paper 2000-10-31)

Ireland

• Residence permit delayed after man’s sex change: courts to test validity of marriage of Russian trans man (Irish Times 2000-08-24)
• Sex change man wins right to sue State: judicial review of non-renewal of residence permit (Irish Independent 2000-10-24)
• Trans woman Lydia Foy seeks judicial review of refusal to amend birth certificate:
  • Woman seeks register change after sex change: Lydia Foy seeks judicial review of refusal to alter birth certificate (Irish Times 2000-10-17)
  • Sex change woman ’was always female’ (Irish Times 2000-10-18)
  • Transsexual tells court she lived in dream world (Irish Times 2000-10-19)
  • Court told sex change patients had no regrets (Irish Times 2000-10-20)
  • Dentist continues birth certificate challenge (Irish Times 2000-10-21)
  • GP believed sex-change operation was a success (Irish Times 2000-10-26)
  • Transsexual ’would not change’ daughters’ status (Irish Times 2000-10-28)
  • Ex-wife never accepted husband was woman (Irish Times 2000-11-01)
  • Gender disorder ’a recognised condition’ (Irish Times 2000-11-03)
  • Transsexual in court plea to alter birth certificate (Irish Independent 2000-10-18)
  • Sex change dentist tells of struggle to conform (Irish Independent 2000-10-19)
  • Transsexual takes High Court case to change birth certificate (Irish Examiner 2000-10-19)
  • Transsexual tried to conform until she collapsed (Irish Examiner 2000-10-19)
  • Transsexual forced to act the role of father (Irish Examiner 2000-10-28)

Discrimination

• Sex-change minister’s discrimination victory: trans woman takes case to Employment Tribunal (BBC News 2000-03-17)
• Pub pays damages to banned sex swap drinker: compensation and apology for trans woman barred from Yorkshire pub (Daily Mail 2000-05-04)
• Barred transsexual wins payout: compensation and apology for trans woman barred from Yorkshire pub (BBC News 2000-05-03)
• Transsexual barred from pub wins compensation and written apology: out-of-court settlement for Yorkshire trans woman (Yorkshire Post 2000-05-03)
• Labour to open phone helpline on equality: government-funded advice bureau will combine elements of the work of the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the new Disability Rights Commission (Daily Telegraph 2000-02-12)

Police & prisons

• Prisons inspector calls for sex change ops: Sir David Ramsbotham says prisoners health is being endangered (Independent On Sunday 2000-02-13)
• Armed robber had sex change while in prison (Daily Telegraph 2000-10-20)

Crime

• Chained body on beach was sex-change father: Suffolk police identify murdered trans woman as Christine Chappel (The Guardian 2000-03-06)
• Tests reveal transsexual was killed: trans woman was murdered before being thrown in sea (The Guardian 2000-04-06)
• Christine Chappel: Police find vital clue to murder (East Anglian Daily Times 2000-04-06)
• Christine Chappel: Body in chains: man on murder charge (East Anglian Daily Times 2000-09-01)
• Christine Chappel: Body in chains charge: ex-wife charged with assisting killer (East Anglian Daily Times 2000-09-27)
• Christine Chappel: Brother and sister sent for trial over killing of transsexual (East Anglian Daily Times 2000-11-02)

The Sunday Sermon

• Walking the eggshell road: when commenting on the actions of judges and others who put reasoning before humanity, we all have to careful not to fall into the same trap (PFC 2000-11-05)

Other

• Kathy loses her medals: A grandmother has been stripped of sporting medals because she takes HRT (Newcastle Evening Chronicle 2000-07-02)
• South Africa: Gays tell of mutilation by apartheid army: electric shocks, aversion therapy, and gender reassignment surgery (The Guardian 2000-07-29)
• Most transsexuals are left-handed, says researcher: (Daily Telegraph 2000-07-07)
• Making the cut: Every time a baby is born in the United States, doctors decide whether its genitals are “normal” or not.  A girl born with a big clitoris is in big trouble. (Ms. Magazine Oct/Nov 2000)
• Lesbians use a legal loophole to tie knot: trans woman marries female partner (The Independent 2000-03-23)