homefromthehills Sun 22-Jul-18 15:19:01

This is just evidence of what we know. That the GRA was created for and refers to Transsexuals throughout. Not transgender. That doctors advised parliament in 2004 when the law was passed it would apply to about 5000 people and it has almost exactly 14 years later.



It was not written for and does not refer to the wider transgender umbrella that is now seeking access.



Those age figures are misleading because about half the people who got a GRA did so in the first couple of years, like me. We were already living as TS and in many cases had for decades. So there was a huge catch up factor of those decades of cases being registered.



Since then it stabilised to about 200 - 300 new GRA granted every year. This is closely in line with the estimated prevalence of those who are diagnosed as TS.



The vast majority of those who registered for a GRA in those first 2000 or so had had surgery as transition was only organised by the NHS in that way in the earlier days. This was the pathway.



The number of NHS surgeries on TS people runs at about 1000 over the past decade. There may well be more carried out overseas or privately.



Taken together it means that probably something like 60 - 70% of the 4900 or so have had surgery.



The fact that the wider trans community is far less likely to have any is the reason we have this massive push now to alter the GRA to remove all medical assessment and psychological gatekeeping. They have not had it and don't want it but want the rights (such as altered birth certificate) that presently only exist with medical approval.



Whilst nobody actually changes sex - the reason for, process by and extent to which transsexuals transition versus the wider transgender community means the two are very different indeed.



Yet the government is selling this as if the law is not working in the way it was intended.



When it absolutely is as figures prove, would not have been passed IMO in 2004 had it been on a different set of rules but is now being waived through as if not enough it was written for are applying.



To be blunt that is a lie.