Horrified by some of the comments on articles about the suggestion to withdraw gender from the passports of the UK in the future. (article from BBC is here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35214487_)
Stupid. It will just make identity fraud easier than it already is
Why not just put transgender on these documents
If trans people say men are born in womens bodies and vise versa then that would imply gay people do not exist. So transphobia trumps homophobia.
You might have to read the comments above to see exactly what these people are trying to say...
What people appear to be missing by a mile is the trauma faced by transgender individuals. Many people seem to consider that the transition is simply flicking a switch: one day a man, the next a woman. That oversimplifies, with a huge error as well, the whole concept.
If someone is assigned male at birth, that may set their gender as male on the birth certificate. However, in these enlightened times, we now understand gender is far more than just what exists between the legs. It is that understanding of your gender as focussed in the brain. Hence when, in a very small proportion of people, someone believes that their gender does not match what is 'between their legs' it isn't just being nice, or PC, but basic common sense and compassionate that we give these people the respect we all deserve.
When transgender people express themselves in the gender they believe that they are - not their preferred gender as we believe that this is not a choice but their natural gender - their certification, whether that be their birth certificate, driving licence or passport will not correlate with their assigned gender at birth. For this to occur they would require to undergo gender reassignment surgery and obtain a Gender Reassignment Certificate. This takes an ordinate amount of time (years) and money.
The removal of the gender label in the passport would remove that awful time when the member of staff at passport control says:
What people appear to be missing by a mile is the trauma faced by transgender individuals. Many people seem to consider that the transition is simply flicking a switch: one day a man, the next a woman. That oversimplifies, with a huge error as well, the whole concept.
If someone is assigned male at birth, that may set their gender as male on the birth certificate. However, in these enlightened times, we now understand gender is far more than just what exists between the legs. It is that understanding of your gender as focussed in the brain. Hence when, in a very small proportion of people, someone believes that their gender does not match what is 'between their legs' it isn't just being nice, or PC, but basic common sense and compassionate that we give these people the respect we all deserve.
When transgender people express themselves in the gender they believe that they are - not their preferred gender as we believe that this is not a choice but their natural gender - their certification, whether that be their birth certificate, driving licence or passport will not correlate with their assigned gender at birth. For this to occur they would require to undergo gender reassignment surgery and obtain a Gender Reassignment Certificate. This takes an ordinate amount of time (years) and money.
The removal of the gender label in the passport would remove that awful time when the member of staff at passport control says:
Good day Sir, your passport please......oh Sorry Madam
To those people who feel that the comments above are appropriate (obtained from the Daily Mail) then please only make them when you have walked a mile in their shoes.