Public sector equality duty
Gender reassignment
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against a person on the basis of gender reassignment.
Gender reassignment is the process of transitioning from one gender to another. People who are undergoing gender reassignment are protected under the law regardless of which stage of transition they are in, or whether their transition is under medical supervision. This means that an individual does not need to have undergone any specific treatment or surgery to be protected by the law.
People who have undergone or are undergoing gender reassignment sometimes refer to themselves as ‘transgender’.
Transgender is an umbrella term used by people whose gender identity and or gender expression differs from their birth sex.
Southwark Council is committed to promoting equality, irrespective of gender identity and valuing the contribution made by all citizens.
Gender reassignment in Southwark
The Census does not gather data on gender reassignment. Although there has been some work to estimate the number of transgender people in the UK population, estimates vary enormously from 1 in 200 to 1 in 1000 and there is no publicly available statistical data on which to make reliable estimates. Research undertaken by the Office of National Statistics to assess the feasibility of collecting transgender information concluded that asking questions in a survey is not the most appropriate method of data collection due to difficulties such as sample size, privacy and acceptable terminology.
Further information and support
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups
- to find out about organisations and services promoting equality for transgender people in Southwark, the NHS Choices website has information about treatment and support for people who wish to make the transition from one gender to the other
- the Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES) provides information for transgender people, their families and medical professionals
- Press for Change is a legal support and lobbying group for transgender people
- TransLondon is a discussion/support group for all members of the ‘trans’ community, whatever their gender identity (or identities) and whatever stage in their transition they have reached (if at all); however, all members must themselves be trans-identified or ‘questioning’
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has produced guidance on trans rights
- the Guardian newspaper has produced a list of organisations and resources for transgender people (Southwark Council can take no responsibility for the accuracy of the information on this website)
Page last updated: 02 August 2022