Press For Change: News Update May 1995
May 1995
Press For Change: BM Network, London WC1N 3XX
Thanks to everyone who has donated or raised money - please keep up the good work.
1. Birth Certificate Case
The plaintiff obtained leave for judicial review. An affadavit from the Registrar has just been issued, which sums up the government’s position. The plaintiff had argued that prior to the Ormerod judgement, birth certificates of British transsexuals were amended, giving them full civil rights in their “new” gender. Examples of three people who had this done were given. The Registrar’s argument is that these people were not in fact transsexual…
Press for Change would be very grateful to hear from anyone who considers themself to be transsexual and who succeeded in having their birth certificate altered.
2. Privacy Case
As all supporters will be aware, the National Council for Civil Liberties (Liberty) is bringing a Group Action on behalf of Press for Change to the European Court on the grounds of violations of privacy. An appeal was made recently for volunteers to join this action. The response has been disappointing: we have a total of only 10 cases. This case could have a major impact if we could get 30 or 40 examples. All cases are completely anonymous and you need do nothing except provide the initial information.
We need RECENT examples (within about the last six months) of incidents in which you were obliged inappropriately to disclose your status as a transsexual. If you think you have an example, please give us a ring!
Contact either Press for Change or Jon Waddum at Liberty direct: NCCL, 21, Tabard Street, LONDON SE1 4LA Tel: 0171-403 3888
3. MPs: Grassroots campaign
Thanks to all who have sent in Campaign Response Sheets telling us what you’ve done locally.
We are compiling information about the attitudes and awareness of MPs, in order to know whom to target and how many would support a bill of rights when it comes before Parliament. Press for Change has a draft bill and a promise from some MPs to bring it forward should they win a slot in the private members ballot. We have a list of around 30 supportive MPs so far, but suspect there are actually a lot more.
There is NOTHING that makes more impact on an MP than a personal meeting with one of their constituents! A number of supporters have visited their MP’s surgeries to make themselves known or enlisted their help in fighting their local Health Authorities for the right to NHS funding for surgery. When approached at this level, MPs are almost unanimously proving sympathetic and supportive.
If you haven’t yet visited or written to your MP, please do so now. Then please write to Press for Change and tell us:
- the name of the MP and the constituency they represent
- what their attitude is
4. The European Court Cases
No news! On the other hand nothing has yet been lost. The European Court moves slowly, but (we hope) surely.
5. Trade Unions
We now have an activist who is specifically targetting the larger Trade Unions to ask them to:
- include “gender identity” in their Equal Opportunities policies and any other relevant documents
- affiliate to Press for Change and make a donation
- liaise with Press for Change when acting on behalf of transsexual members or client groups
If you are a member of a Union you could help by tackling the issue at branch level - see the Campaign Pack for details and contact Press for Change for further support or advice. Don’t forget to let us know how you get on!
6. Media coverage
During the last 12 months Press for Change activists have appeared on a number of programmes including BBC Breakfast News, the World Service and Kilroy. We are currently involved in a documentary for Open Space, which will concentrate on the legal problems of transsexual people. This will be shown on BBC 2, Septemebr 4th at around 7.30pm entitled: NO MAN’S LAND.
We receive a constant stream of enquiries from journalists and television and radio programme makers, wanting contacts with transsexual people for articles and programmes. Gender issues and transsexualism are currently “flavour of the month”. Many media people have their own agendas (not necessarily quite the same as ours!) and Press for Change is cautious about getting involved unless we can gain editorial control; however we do pass on requests via the self-help networks and a large number of individual transsexual people seem to be appearing on a variety of programmes. Such exposure may do us a lot of good - the transsexual people involved generally come over as intelligent and dignified, even when the programme or article itself is awful, and the impression on the public must surely be positive.
7. Party Conferences
Press for Change has in previous years held fringe meetings at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference; this year we plan to just have a stall there. Instead we will be concentrating our attention on the Labour and Conservative Conferences. Two of our activists are coordinating fringe meetings at these; Richard Green will speak at both, along with MPs from the appropriate party.
We need volunteers to help staff an information stall at each meeting. You would be asked to give out information packs and leaflets and perhaps chat to anyone who showed an interest. No great legal or political knowledge is required; you would be briefed before on the basic points to put across.
The dates are as follows:
- Labour Conference (Brighton) Weds. 4th October c. 1 - 3 pm
- Conservative Conference (Blackpool) Weds. 11th October c.1 - 3 pm
PLEASE CONTACT PRESS FOR CHANGE IF YOU OR YOUR FRIENDS/FAMILIES COULD HELP - especially if you live near the venues.
8. Petition Sheets
Supporters have been plugging away at these, and we now have 500. We need 10,000 in order to present the petition at the House of Commons.
9. Death Certificates
Anyone who has had the distressing experience of registering the death of a transsexual person will know that the Registrar is legally obliged to record the “original” gender of the deceased on the certificate. This is a grotesque and unecessary cruelty to both the deceased and their surviving family.
We believe that a case could be brought to the European Court on this issue. Perhaps people could think about this whilst they are still fit and well, and if you would like to “help others after your death”, make your wishes in this respect known to your loved ones and ensure they know how to contact Press for Change or the National Council of Civil Liberties when the time comes.
10. Health Authorities
One of our activists is compiling information about Health Authorities’ attitudes to funding surgery for transsexual people. It seems that many authorities are refusing to fund and this is a worrying trend.
If you have any knowledge of the attitude of your own Health Authority, please contact Press for Change. We can also advise you on how to challenge an Authority if you need to.
11. Parliamentary Questions
Alex Carlile QC MP (co-ordinator of the cross-party committee of sympathetic MPs) wishes to ask questions regularly in the House of Commons about transsexual issues: if you have a personal experience which could form the basis for a question, or an idea for a question, please let Press for Change know, or write directly to Alex Carlile at the House of Commons quoting Press for Change.
12. Action Checklist
You’ll be aware that besides updating you on news and progress, this newsletter is asking YOU to take action. Here’s a summary of actions you can take now to help the campaign:
- write to Press for Change if you have any information on a successfully changed birth certificate
- join the Group Action on Privacy
- visit your MP and let us know their response
- bring a motion to your Trade Union Branch and/or let us know the attitude of your Union
- offer to help at one of the Party Conferences
- get some more petitions signed
- write to Press for Change with information about your Health Authority
- think of a question to ask in Parliament
- persuade others to campaign as well
13. Networking
This newsletter is distributed to all those who subscribe, and to the self help networks, to sympathetic MPs and lawyers etc. Please note that if you subscribed before April 1995, your subscription will be taken as starting from that date. This is because we have been unable so far to produce a regular newsletter as we had hoped, although you may have received copies of press releases etc. We plan as of now to produce at least three updates per annum, supplemented by bulletins if there is a newsflash in between.
Please help us by getting as many people as you can to read your copy, and/or encourage people to subscribe themselves.
14. Publicity materials
Materials are available free of charge - just ring or write. We’d like to see information dispersed as widely as possible e.g. to health professionals, social workers, local politicians, unions, national organizations, churches etc. or to anyone who may be interested or supportive. A number of new items are in production and will be advertised in the next issue. At present we have available:
- Campaign Packs
- A4 folded leaflets
- A4 double sided posters with photos
- series of PFC adverts for insertion in journals etc
Press for Change is making progress.
We need your help.