Gender Recognition Bill [HL] – Comment

The Government's draft Gender Recognition Bill – introduced in the House of Lords on November 27th – raises several issues of concern:

1. The provisions of the Bill will fundamentally alter the basis of marriage as it has been understood for centuries.
   
   
2. The fundamental concept of human sexuality will be changed by the provisions
   in the Bill.
   
   
3. Secrecy provisions in the Bill will undermine the Human Rights of third parties.
   
   
4. The Government has consistently refused to listen to any rational, scientifically authoritative, arguments that there is no scientific evidence that transsexuality is biologically determined, in favour of appeasing a small minority pressure group in a skewed view that the Human Rights of pressure groups have primacy over the Human Rights of overwhelming majority of the population.
   

Essentially transsexuality, is self-determined gender identity. Nobody is born transsexual.

Under new laws which come into effect with the passing of the Bill it will be regarded as discriminatory any attempt to prevent (for example) a male to female transsexual (or a would be transsexual.) using female toilets or participation in a women's prayer group, although in most cases it will be obvious.

It will be illegal to disclose that a person has undergone – or contemplating – sex reassignment surgery.

Having satisfied a gender recognition panel (to be established) of the authenticity of the persons self-determined desire to live in the assumed gender role a new birth certificate will be issued that will be indistinguishable from an original birth certificate.

No criteria for determining authenticity of claims put to a gender recognition panel are established by the Bill.

All faith groups should be alarmed by the aims of the Bill and the secrecy provisions that will be imposed by it.

All faith groups should be alarmed by the haste, and absence of time for public debate, of the present government in pushing the Bill through Parliament.

*The Government’s timetable is to have the Bill
become law by the end of January 2004*

The Gender Recognition Bill can be found on the following web site:
www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200304/ldbills/004/2004004.htm

Explanatory notes for the bill can be found at:
www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200304/ldbills/004/en/04004x--.htm

See also:

Introduction – The Gender Recognition Bill.

Appendix 1 – A brief summary of key issues raised by the Gender Recognition Bill.

Appendix 2 – Anticipated Parliamentary Timetable.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions about Transvestism, or Transsexuality/Transsexualism.