available
at
http://www.theequalitiesreview.org.uk/upload/assets/www.theequalitiesreview.org.uk/transgender.pdf
The
findings of theis empirical and qualitative
report are based upon an analysis of over 100,000 emails, a survey with 873
respondents, and interviews.
The95 page report was commissioned by the UK
Government's Equalities Review. As a consequence of the report's findings, the
UK Government has announced tha t transgender will be
a protected category (along with sex & gender; race & ethnicity;
physical or mental disability; religion & faith; age; and sexual
orientation) for the new Equalities and Human Rights Commission that starts
work in October 2007.
Clearly this is a great leap forward for the trans
community in the UK, but much more important is the report's findings on the
extent of inequality and unlawful discrimination experienced by trans people in
a modern European, liberal, society.
The results of the report show that; starting in early childhood and through to
the grave, trans people face repeated and ongoing prejudice which results in
violence, abuse, institutionalised discrimination and
'othering' throughout all aspects
of their lives. The evidence threw up some new and interesting results which
challenge current understandings of the trans community
and the people in it. These include evidence that tomboys experi
ence more abuse at school than sissy boys, and that
many lifelong 'transvestites' would be transssexual
if it were not for their fear of workplace discrimination.
Reccomendations are made for targetted work and future
research in the field.