Women who transitioned decades ago feel their safety and security has suddenly been removed

Last week’s supreme court ruling sent shock waves through the UK’s trans community.

The unanimous judgment said the legal definition of a woman in the Equality Act 2010 did not include transgender women who hold gender recognition certificates (GRCs).

That feeling was compounded when Kishwer Falkner, the chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which is preparing new statutory guidance, said the judgment meant only biological women could use single-sex changing rooms and toilets.

  • hitmyspot@aussie.zone
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    1 day ago

    If their passport doesn’t match their appearance, would that be safe for travel in less welcoming countries? Would it allow them to travel at all, if it didn’t match their presentation? Isn’t that the whole point of a passport? There is no reason for this kind of legal ruling apart from offering a way for bigots to practice bigotry. Nobody will be safer, but trans people will be more at risk.

    • jfr634@feddit.ukBannedBanned from community
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      1 day ago

      Someone can present anyway they want, that doesn’t change their biological sex. If some countries look at your passport and think you look like a gender that doesn’t match their biological sex, so what?

      • acchariya@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        Why do you think sex is listed in passports? Do you think it is because it is important to understand the reproductive capabilities of the traveller or is it a data point that corresponds with appearance, like eye color?

        I’m trying to imagine a scenario outside maybe immigration where a country a traveler visits would need to know your “biological sex” or “birth sex”.

        • jfr634@feddit.ukBannedBanned from community
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          23 hours ago

          Well I would think sex is more important to be on a passport because it is something that can’t be changed, like your birthday. So yes it is a data point, but not one related to your appearance. If you are using gender on a passport, it seems kind of pointless because you may identify one way but look like another.

          • acchariya@lemmy.world
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            23 hours ago

            But what is it for, why have sex on the passport at all? Why is it important to know the “biological sex” of a traveler? Have you been genetically scanned at a border crossing before?

            • jfr634@feddit.ukBannedBanned from community
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              23 hours ago

              Why have you birthday or place of birth on there then?

              • Pup Biru@aussie.zone
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                16 hours ago

                because these are the standard points of data that accurately identifies an individual: place of birth adds geography so you can look for local records, and birthdate is a “key” to separate individuals with the same name

                name and dob is the standard identifier in medicine

                place name is important because passports are related to geography and actual individual identity

                now you answer the question

      • hitmyspot@aussie.zone
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        1 day ago

        So your middle ground is to not give passports to trans people that allows them safe passage. Literally, what passports were designed to do.

          • angrystego@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            “passports to trans people that allows them safe passage” - that’s what you wouldn’t give them. What is a passport good for if you cannot travel with it because the information it carries makes you a target in many countries?

            • jfr634@feddit.ukBannedBanned from community
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              24 hours ago

              But that is the fault of those other countries then. Maybe it would be best to have both sex and gender official documents

              • angrystego@lemmy.world
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                22 hours ago

                Passports are for traveling - that’s the hole point. They are a means of communication with the other countries and should help the holder to travel easily. If they don’t because of their design, it’s not the fault of the other countries. Passports are emmitted by our country to help us travel even ti stupid countries if needed.