intersex

Trans* Jersey

Mx title now available

socsecTrans* Jersey has been contacted by the Social Security Department to let us know that Mx has now been included as a gender neutral title option in their computer systems. This is good news for all those who identify as in between the simple binary of man or woman.
The department have issued the following statement about the change: “Transgender people in Jersey will be protected against discrimination from September this year and so this is an appropriate change for the Department to make to ensure that our customers are addressed by us as they wish to be addressed.

“We do not know yet whether any other States Departments intend to make a similar change.

“We have not changed the title options on any of our forms as this would require a much bigger piece of work, but it may happen in the future.”

They have also issued the following guidance to their employees:

What is Mx?
Mx is the most commonly used title that does not indicate gender (i.e. instead of Mr, Mrs, Miss etc) and it may be used by people who do not identify as either a man or woman. It may be  pronounced as ‘mux’, ‘mix’ or ‘mixter’. Mx has been adopted by many major national institutions in the UK and is a permitted title option for the DWP, DVLA, HMRC, NHS, Identity and Passport Service, Post Office, some local city councils and banks, universities and utilities companies.

What this means for the customer
A customer may request that their title is recorded in our systems as Mx.  If a customer requests this, you simply make the change. We do not need any details or explanation of why this is the customer’s preference. You should never make assumptions or offer this option to a customer if they have not requested it.

When a customer makes this request, it would be appropriate for you to explain the extent to which Mx will be used in our correspondence with them in the future, i.e. letters and cheques.

Trans* Jersey

UKIA-Trans* Jersey alliance

Trans* Jersey is very proud to announce that it has become an associate member of the UK Intersex Association (UKIA). The United Kingdom Intersex Association (UKIA) is an education, advocacy, campaigning and support organisation which works on behalf of Intersex people.

UKIAUKIA has the following aims:

  • to educate, inform and campaign in order to remove the shame, secrecy, social prejudice, ignorance and stigmatization that surround Intersex people;
  • to campaign against the pathologising and medicalisation of Intersex peoples’ lives;
  • to campaign against the use of surgery and other medical treatments for coercing Intersex people to physically conform to cultural definitions of “normal”;
  • to campaign against the widespread practice of withholding information from Intersex people regarding the medical implications of being born Intersex, where these exist;
  • to campaign for the same status and respect for human rights accorded to all others to be equally accorded to Intersex people.

As the above list of aims suggests, there is a lot of work to be done around educating people about what Intersex means and the reality of the lives Intersex people live, not least with the medical profession.

Many of the UKIA aims could apply equally to the trans* community, which is why Trans* Jersey sees this association with the UKIA as a good fit for the work being done in Jersey to improve the lives of all those who, for whatever reason, fall outside of the gender binary.

There are other aims that the UKIA highlights that are unique to the Intersex community and Trans* Jersey hopes to work with the UKIA to educate and inform the general public, the medical profession in Jersey and the States of Jersey about these specific requirements.

To support this work, Trans* Jersey has signed up to the following UKIA principles:

  • Total opposition to cosmetic surgery on intersex infants in an attempt to “normalise” their appearance;
  • Rejection of the concept that the human species exists as a physical binary (male & female) model and contends that anything which deviates from this stereotype is “abnormal”;
  • Accept that all individuals, whatever their identification (male, female, other etc.) are to be respected and have the right to equal opportunities both socially and occupationally;
  • Support the campaign to secure the rights of intersex people to change their birth registration to match their personal identification, rather than that which was chosen for them;
  • Rejection of the pathologisation of intersex conditions (such as the use of demeaning terminology e.g. “Hermaphrodite”, “Disorders of Sex Development (DSD)” etc.

It is hoped that together Trans* Jersey and the UKIA can make a difference to our island’s Intersex residents.

Video Trans* Jersey

Intersex and Identity

For the first part of the show, Dr Sharon Preves, sociologist and professor, discussed her research of intersex individuals. Sharon first defined terms, such as “intersex,” “hermaphrodite,” and “transgender,” then explained how and why she became involved in this research. Sharon next explained the cause for negative stigma against intersex individuals, including the religious views of people who do not fit easily into the male/female binary. Sharon noted the strong drive that society has to pigeonhole everyone – even fetuses – into one of two genders. She discussed the evolution of outlying conditions in Western civilization: from sin, to crime, to medicalisation. Sharon then explained the excessive intrusion of the medical world and its treatment of intersexuality as an emergency requiring “correction”.

During the second half of the show, Sharon Preves, professor at Hamline University, further detailed the medicalisation of conditions that do not, normally, require medical intervention, including intersex infants and childbirth itself. Sharon compared the unnecessary interventions into intersexed individuals bodies with circumcision, and she then discussed the emotional ramifications on the patients. Many felt guilt, shame, and even fear. Some grew up convinced they had been born with a disease so terrible that no one – not even their parents or doctors – would discuss it openly. Sharon next cited recent gains in the rights of those born intersexed, and listed off ways they have found healing, such as through support groups. Sharon also provided the example of an intersex teenager who was instructed to pray that she become fully female. Sharon concluded by offering several resources, including her own book, “Intersex and Identity”.

 

James Zimmerman hosted.Two part interview, recorded 5/2/2013.

Minnesota Atheists practices positive, inclusive, active, friendly neighborhood atheism in order to:

– Provide a community for atheists
– Educate the public about atheism
– Promote separation of state and church

http://www.mnatheists.org/

Trans* Jersey

Non gender binary issues

Trans* Jersey supports the proposal that gendered language in marriage ceremonies should be optional and that an X marker on passports and birth certificates should be introduced. Both these issues are most important for genderqueer, androgynous, bigender and intersex individuals.

passports_UKThe UK charity GIRES offers further explanation of this issue as follows:

Those that are outside the gender binary are not protected under ‘gender reassignment’ as they do not intend to undergo gender reassignment or have any medical treatment.

It is accepted that those with gender dysphoria, who wish to change their social gender role on the basis on non identification with the assigned gender at birth, can do so. Those that do not identify with the birth recorded gender (or the alternative gender) and have no wish to adopt the opposite gender role have no mechanism either to gain protection under the 2010 Equality Act or obtain appropriate ID. Their often ambiguous physical appearance can cause issues when travelling. Passports can be issued to a transitioning person in their non birth recorded gender even without GRC. The Passport Office has the option of the marker “X” to denote other than male or female but refuses to use this despite it being an international convention. Alas a recent Passport Office report ignored the evidence and determined that there was no call for the X marker. The non gendered community are thus excluded from full civil participation.

The 2010 Equality Act “gender reassignment” characteristic should be widened to include those outside the gender binary. The 2004 GRA should be broadened to include an assessment of applicants who wish to have a Birth Certificate reissued with an X (or sex not recorded). Passports should be made available with the X marker irrespective of the Birth Certificate to ensure consistent treatment of all those with “gender dysphoria”.

Trans* Jersey will be responding to the States of Jersey’s consultation on the next phase of the island’s anti-discrimination legislation to ensure that trans* individuals are not excluded from the protections offered by Jersey’s equivalent of the UK’s Equality Act.

Trans* Jersey is currently undertaking research to find out whether Jersey’s passport office have the option to use the X marker as the UK passport office does, and whether it also refuses to do so.

Video Trans* Jersey

Born Between

20 minute full extended promotional film produced to raise funds for the feature length documentary production. ‘Intersex’ or ‘Variations of Sex Development’ is a topic few people have ever heard of. We reveal the natural factual science and the personal stories of being born between.

Video Trans* Jersey

Germany makes intersex a birth certificate option

BBC World TV Impact presenter Rajesh Mirchandani speaks to Sarah Graham, a British intersex woman, and a counsellor about her experiences growing up.

The interview was part of coverage about how Germany has become the first country in Europe to allow babies with characteristics of both sexes to be registered as neither male nor female. From today, parents will be allowed to leave the gender blank on birth certificates. The move is aimed at removing pressure on parents to make quick decisions on the sex of their babies, including whether they might need surgery to determine their gender.

Trans* Jersey

Equal marriage support

Trans* Jersey supports Deputy Sam Mezec’s call for the States of Jersey to pass legislation to legalise same-sex marriage. Trans* Jersey goes further and would support a move for the island to model its law on Scotland’s equal marriage legislation.

We support equal marriage because, as the law currently stands in Jersey, a transman or transwoman in a marriage or civil partnership and wishing to legally transition (by acquiring a gender recognition certificate (“GRC”)) must first obtain a divorce from their spouse. Divorce and re-marriage (via a civil partnership or marriage, depending on which way you are going!) carries with it not just costs but implications for the continuation of legal documents, such as wills, and pension provisions.

This is the only known example where the law requires someone to forgo one right (the right to remain married to their partner) in order to access another (the right to private life afforded by the Gender Recognition Act). This anomaly has led to some transsexual people in the UK deciding not to acquire a GRC, as they argue their marriage vows were for life and they object to the idea that their partner (by remaining with them and true to those vows) would be unfairly treated by dissolving the original bond.

When Scotland was considering equal marriage legislation, James Morton of the Equality Network and Scottish Transgender Alliance released this video explaining why equal marriage matters to trans and intersex people. Trans* Jersey agrees with the points he made.

When England introduced the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, they got it wrong. They included what has come to be called the Spousal Veto, a clause that allows spouses of transgender people to effectively stop them from legally transitioning (i.e. acquiring a GRC). Sarah Brown, the LibDem politician and trans* activist, explains why this is a problem here.

When Scotland passed its legislation, the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014, they got it right. They removed the need for transgender people to dissolve their marriage before be able to acquire a GRC; they have enabled people to have gender-neutral marriage ceremonies; and they secured the removal of the spousal veto.

An explanation from the Equality Network on what Scotland’s recently passed equal marriage bill will mean for trans and intersex people.

The Equality Network is a Scottish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality charity: http://www.equality-network.org

Video Trans* Jersey

Intersex: advocate Hida Viloria in interview

Jeff 4 Justice interviews Organization Intersex International chairperson Hida Viloria about being intersex. Relaxed interview with loads of information about intersex life. Contains some adult themes.

At http://www.intersexualite.org/ you can learn more about Organization Intersex International. At http://www.hidaviloria.com/ you can follow the work of Hida Viloria.

Note: intersex conditions are not the same as being transgender or transsexual.