Transgender report calls for legal change of gender, from as young as 16

Children as young as 16 should be allowed to legally ‘change’ their gender, the Women and Equalities Committee’s ‘Transgender Equality’ report has said.

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Children as young as 16 should be allowed to legally ‘change’ their gender, the Women and Equalities Committee’s 'Transgender Equality' report has said.

Published on January 14, the reports claims that the UK has “a long way to go” in achieving ‘equality’ for people who identify as transgender.

A number of changes throughout public services, including the health and education sectors, have been suggested in the report, which ChristianConcern’s Chief Executive Andrea Williams has described as "a denial of reality and very concerning"

'Self-declaration' of gender

In the report, ministers called for the right for individuals to "self-declare" gender without the need for medical assessment.

The report also recommended that people should be able to mark their gender as 'X' on legal documents such as passports. A change of this kind would do away with the legal requirement for proof that the individual has been living as the opposite gender for at least two years.

In a statement responding to the report, Andrea Williams said: "Gender is how we identify people. It is about basic safety, order and reality".

The report suggested that children as young as 16 should be given permission to legally change their gender, without parental consent.

On the possibility of lowering the legal age of ‘changing’ one’s gender, Andrea said:

"A 16-year-old has not fully developed physically, mentally and emotionally into adulthood. At that age one is not legally allowed to vote or drive. Allowing such a young person to make a life-altering decision of this magnitude is irresponsible and harmful."

Hormone blockers

Hormone blockers were also mentioned in the report, which claimed that the NHS should not interfere with access to puberty-blockers for young people.

This recommendation follows suggestions, made in October 2015, that pre-pubescent children should be given hormone blockers on the NHS if desired.

Watch campaigns director Andrew Marsh discuss this issue on Sky News.

'Training' on transgender issues in schools

The report states that school staff should undergo mandatory training on gender identity, to better support individuals who identify as transgender.

It also calls for teaching on gender issues to be made part of school curriculum.

"Trans issues (and gender issues generally) should be taught as part of Personal, Social and Health Education," the report states.

Andrea Williams has said that such measures will only lead to more confusion.

"The more we normalise this, the more confusion there will be. Schools should be safe places where boys and girls are informed and helped to deal with any confusion over their identity.

"Gender dysphoria is a real condition, it is relatively rare and needs to be handled with respect and treated properly."

She continued:

"The state has a responsibility to help children by providing safe places in schools – not by promoting transgender issues, which only add to the confusion many young people face, but will work through if supported properly. We must encourage young people to be that which God has created them to be, not condition them to distort their God-given sexuality."

Cultural influence

In her statement, Andrea Williams emphasised that adults must take responsibility for the care of children who experience gender confusion:

"When children begin to identify with another gender, especially if there is copying going on, then the adults in the situation need to think carefully about what they are doing in terms of care for the children,” she said, adding:

"The report comes not long after the release of the film The Danish Girl, which glamorises the confusion of sexuality and serves only to harm young people at a time when they are still maturing as sexual beings."