Likely of interest to few people, but I try to get parliamentary business about Trans issues “out there” as it’s otherwise very poorly reported.
Following a Statutory Instrument committee yesterday, the list of “approved countries and territories” under the Gender Recognition Act has been updated for the first time since the act was passed in 2005. What this basically means is that if you have gender recognition in one of these countries, you can get a UK GRC without needing all the proof and paperwork.
The new list is here and the following countries have been added compared to the old list:
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Liechtenstein
- the Federal District of Mexico (One state within Mexico)
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Uruguay
One country has been removed – Latvia, apparently due to a “change in case law” and Serbia and Montenegro has been replaced with just Serbia due to the break up of the country.
Appearing on the list is not necessarily a good thing. The list indicates the there is what the UK government call a “proper assessment” as part of the gender recognition process – some countries don’t appear because their rules are considered laxer than ours. Latvia seems to be a good example of this as if the rough google translations are half way accurate, their current process appears to be too liberal and Trans-friendly for the UK Government.
Thanks for bringing this up. I’m transitioning in the us and may end up back in Britain at some point so i was really interested to see it. I was curious why “Idaho, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas, and” were excluded? I get the feeling these states may not allow a change on your birth certificate but would be interested in the actual reason (I’m in Virginia for what it’s worth)… Any thoughts on the “and” at the end of that string (just a typo?)
Yes, I that’s the list of states that won’t update gender markers, at least as earlier this year – Texas will, but I think that’s a recent change so possibly this list was drafted before that.
I’m guessing they excluded them as they may suddenly introduce a new process for changing gender that’s far too easy and not up to the same standard as the UK process! Given the political status of gender recognition in those states… I think that’s unlikely, somehow.
The “and” at the end is just part of the “…and Uruguay”, but formatted oddly by being on the previous line.
(Odd point: I’d have qualified for a new birth certificate earlier in most US states, as it’s usually based on surgical status. I had to wait until a year *after* surgery under the more liberal UK rules!)
Unfortunately, while all of the Australian states and territories are included, the Commonwealth of Australia is not.
The states and territories only have mechanisms in place for recognising the sex of those born there (apart from Victoria). Those born overseas – as in, the UK – are handled by Federal legislation.
Consequently, a person with a UK birth certificate living in Australia can only have that changed if they’d managed to be born in Australia simultaneously. That this anomaly has been allowed to stand after revision is unfortunate.
You can still apply for a GRC in the UK even if living abroad – same requirements apply. (2 years full time, doctors letters) Is there a mechanism in place in Australia at federal level to recognise overseas (UK) GRCs?