Policy guidelines

There are a number of laws and guidelines that protect transsexual people and outline how they should be treated by medical professionals.

Gender Recognition Act 2004

The Gender Recognition Act 2004 gives certain legal rights to trans men and women.

Under the Gender Recognition Act of 2004, trans men and women can:

• apply for and obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate to acknowledge their gender identity
• get a new birth certificate, driving licence and passport
• marry in their new gender

To apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate, you must be over 18.

The application process requires you to prove that:

• you have or have had gender dysphoria
• you have lived as your preferred gender for the last two years
• you intend to live permanently in your preferred gender

Find out about:

• the Gender Recognition Act 2004
• how to apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate

Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 brought together over 116 previously separate pieces of legislation into one single act.

The act covers what was previously protected under the Sexual Discrimination Act 1975  namely legal protection for transsexual people in the workplace and wider society against:

• victimisation
• harassment
• discrimination

If you're suffering discrimination at work, you should report it. The GOV.UK website has more information about what you can do if you think you've been unfairly discriminated against.

You can also read about the Equality Act 2010 on the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) website.

Clinical guidelines

In addition to the legislation above, there are also clinical guidelines for health professionals that outline what high-quality care for transsexual people should involve.

Such guidelines include:

• the WPATH Standards of Care produced by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)
• the Good Practice Guidelines for the assessment of adults with Gender Dysphoria (PDF, 611kb) produced by the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Gender
In this article, gender refers to the feeling of being either male or female.

Gender dysphoria
A condition that describes a feeling of mismatch between your biological sex and your gender identity.

Gender identity
Gender identity is your personal sense of knowing which gender you belong to, or the way that you see yourself.

Sex
In this article, sex refers to male or female, the biological sex that you were born with.

Transsexual
A transsexual is someone with an extreme and long-term case of gender dysphoria, who seeks to alter their biological sex to match their gender identity.