I am feeling proud

How Southend Borough Council assisted the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to improve transgender awareness across the authority.

Summary
As part of a review of their gender equality scheme, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) has been working to raise awareness internally of transgender issues. ) The authority had previously working with Southend Borough Council (SBC) on a Peer Support project around carrying out effective Equality Impact Assessments. Through this contact, an employee from SBC who is currently undergoing transition attended LBTH to run a workshop session, looking at the issues around transgender, and giving people the opportunity to ask questions and gain a greater understanding of some of the issues that people may face, as they undergoing transition in the workplace.

Context
Society divides people into categories depending on the male or female appearance of an infant at birth. Reproductive organs, as well as brains, have distinctly different male and female characteristics. These physical differences define our sex, whereas gender identity describes the inner sense of knowing that we are men or women, and gender role describes how we behave in society. This is different from sexual orientation; that is, whether a person is sexually attracted to men, or women, or both or, very occasionally, neither.

Typically, sex appearance, gender identity and gender role are consistent. For a few people, the discomfort arising from the mismatch between the way they look and the way they feel may become extreme through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood. In adolescence, stress is aggravated by the onset of puberty, when the body develops even further in opposition to the innate gender identity.
People experiencing gender dysphoria often live for many years in the gender role that society expects of them until, finally, their distress becomes intolerable and they undergo transition to live permanently according to the gender role that is more comfortable for them. When gender discomfort is this severe, it is referred to as transsexualism. According to figures provided by the Gender Identity Research and Education Service (Gires), one in 1,000 school children suffer from gender dysphoria: roughly one pupil for every secondary school: though not all of them will seek gender reassignment surgery.
It is now quite common for those experiencing and/or expressing gender variance to describe themselves as trans men (female to male) and trans women (male to female). However, many of those who live full time in the new gender role wish to be regarded as ordinary men and women. When trans people start to live permanently in the new gender role, they and their families, partners and spouses are likely to experience great stress. Many trans people suffer discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere at this time.

The session:
An informal lunchtime session was developed and delivered which gave a personal account of Lucy’s journey over a number of years, culminating in a decision to seek gender reassignment surgery. The session covered issues around social change, and how change in social status, from being perceived as a heterosexual male to a transgender woman, can affect personal and workplace relationships. The presentation also covered the sorts of pressures that Trans people are subject to such as isolation, fear of physical attack and being bullied, or treated as an object of fun.

Participants were then asked to split into groups and engaged with, and then openly debated a questionnaire which was designed to challenge some of the myths and misconceptions that are often linked with transgender issues. This session also looked at attitudes and beliefs associated with gender, and how gender self identity shapes mind-sets in this context.

Next steps:
Hannah, could you add something here about how you are linking this to your GES work, etc?
Lucy, do you want to add anything here from a Southend perspective?

Contact
Lucy Persechino, National LGBT Committee, Unison

Useful links
Lucy - There are probably others I should include?
The Sex Discrimination Act provides protection in employment before, during and after the transition process. For more information on protection in employment, visit www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/yourrights/equalityanddiscrimination

The Transgender Zone supports people who feel confused about their gender, and who are looking for support.
http://www.transgenderzone.com/

Gender Identity Research and Education Service provide policy advice, organise training, distribute material and offer workshops around gender identity issues
http://www.gires.org.uk/

Mermaids is a support group for gender variant children and teenagers. Their aim is to support young people up to the age of 19, who are coping with gender identity issues.
http://www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/