LGBT

The legal survey is the result of the largest and most comprehensive data collection on transgender people's lived experiences to date 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.

Taken from Pink News, Written by Adam Lake • April 29, 2008

Transgender EuroStudy: Legal Survey and Focus on the Transgender Experience of Health Case (April 2008)

Download from our resources section at http://www.lgbthistory.org.uk/resources/Transgender_EuroStudy_2008.pdf

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.