I apologise if some of you are already aware, but I felt that it was important to ensure that you are all aware of this new report, funded by the European Commission through ILGA and carried out by Stephen Whittle’s PFC research team.
The research is largely modelled on the UK-only study carried out in 2006 (and published by the UK’s Equalities Review in Feb 2007). At the time that work, featuring over 850 subjects and qualitative analysis of thousands of case files was considered to be the largest of its kind ever undertaken. The results really strengthened the work that people like myself do at policy and strategy level within UK Government departments such as health and social care.
The new research, carried out in the last quarter of 2007, took things to the next level and surveyed trans people in the whole of the enlarged European Community. (The EU has an overall population of 493 million – substantially larger than the US). The new results are based on an overall response in excess of 2500 trans people.
Although the report covers the different social and legal settings in which trans people in the member states live (including, a comparison of the legal recognition arrangements and public health systems) the main focus on this occasion is the largely abusive way in which trans people are treated by health professionals at all levels – not just for gender treatment but forever thereafter.
It’s a sobering report. Not pleasant reading. The methodology documents how real researchers conduct research on a community (and on a scale) like this. The results speak for themselves. I would also contend that they show your little bunch of self-aggrandising charlatans for what they are. You don’t have to have complicated debates about why trans people exist, or what motivates them, because that is not the question. The fact is that trans people DO exist and that evidence on this scale suggests that if they are being abused on this scale in the socially liberal EU, the same is most probably the case elsewhere (and the duty of those who dispute that is to prove the reverse). In those circumstances I think you should be insisting that US academics quit playing intellectual parlour games and focus on the pathology of why professionals in health leave their ethics at the door when dealing with trans people. There is clearly a mass psychotic behaviour at work. The call is, “physician, heal thyself”. And afterwards, if there’s still any need, we could come back with clearer minds to debate why trans people exist.
Report reveals disturbing divide in treatment of transsexuals in the EU
Pink News - http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-7511.html
Report - http://www.ilga-europe.org/europe/publications/non_periodical
By Adam Lake • April 29, 2008 - 9:39
The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA)-Europe and TransGender Europe have published a comprehensive report on the experiences of health care by transgender people in European Union.
The revealing poll shows the disturbing divide in the treatment on transgender people in Europe.
The legal survey is the result of the largest and most comprehensive data collection on transgender people’s lived experiences to date.
In the UK, there is estimated to be around 15,000 transsexual people who self-identify as the opposite gender from the physical body they were born with.
Around a third of them have surgery to change their bodies to be the opposite sex
The report has show how life can still be very hard for transgender people in some parts of Europe.
Many transgender citizens still fear for their safety, the report concluded.
It also looked at how many trans people were unable to work due to discrimination, and facing great difficulties in obtaining access health care as well as gender reassignment services.
Transsexual people experience varying degrees of acceptance around the world.
Before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the issue of transsexualism in Iran had never been officially addressed by the government.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, however, transgendered individuals have been officially recognized by the government and allowed to undergo sex reassignment surgery.
Thailand is thought to have the highest prevalence of transsexualism in the world. Due to the relative prevalence and acceptance of transsexualism in Thailand, there are many accomplished Thai surgeons who are specialized in sex reassignment surgery.
Transgender-related issues remain largely taboo in much of Africa and in developing countries around the world.
Deborah Lambillotte, Co-Chair of ILGA-Europe’s Executive Board, said:
“ILGA-Europe is proud to deliver this important report. For the first time discrimination and prejudice transgender people across European Union experience are being confirmed and evidenced by such comprehensive pan-European study.
“We hope that this study will become useful tool for campaigners and advocates of transgender people’s rights.
“We also hope that the recommendations contained in the study will be listened by and taken on board by relevant European institutions to ensure that the needs and rights of transgender people are fully embraced and addressed when dealing with the issues of equality and anti-discrimination.”
ILGA is an international organization bringing together more than 400 lesbian and gay groups from around the world.
It continues to be active in campaigning for gay rights on the international human rights and civil rights scene and regularly petitions the United Nations and governments.
ILGA is represented in around 90 countries across the world.
The study will be presented at the second TransGender Europe’s Council on 2nd - 4th May in Berlin.
A PDF version of the study is available here:
Transgender EuroStudy: Legal Survey and Focus on the Transgender Experience of Health Case (April 2008)
http://www.ilga-europe.org/europe/publications/non_periodical
This research project, commissioned by ILGA-Europe, follows a similar large scale study conducted in the UK in 2006. During July 2007 and December 2007 the researchers undertook a mixed quantitative/qualitative approach to collecting and analysing information on transgender and transsexual people’s experiences of inequality and discrimination in accessing healthcare in Europe. This was a large undertaking given the timescale; even more so as we had to recruit translators from 13 different countries as well as conduct focus groups and get translations done. This report is an analysis and summary of the results obtained and it details the barriers that trans people face when accessing healthcare. The work undertaken is certainly the largest and most comprehensive data collection on trans people’s lived experience to date. One can never claim that research data is entirely representative of a community; even less so when the community being studied consists of many small sub-communities as is the case with trans people. However, as will be detailed in the data analysis section of this report, the statistics we have on the profile of respondents do generally match data of the population of Europe (for example the percentage of those with a disability). Other statistics that do not match the European population (for example educational attainment) are consistent with the large scale study of trans people in the UK – hence it could be argued that these features may be anomalous to trans people. We are confident then, that the size and quality of our sample of the population is sufficient to draw upon for our claims and that the experiences of trans people accessing healthcare detailed in this report are credible.
