Transgender an easy read guide

Developed by Care Management Group,

CHANGE and Choice Support

Transgender

an easy read guide

Thanks to Persia West

Contents

Introduction

Sex and gender

Transgender – what does it mean?

Practical Steps and what to do

Transition

Thoughts and Issues

Who to talk to and where to go to get

the help you need

Words and terms

Page

Words

Introduction

This easy read guide is about

what it means to be transgender

and the issues you or someone

you know may experience.

The guide looks at the difference

between sex and gender and

explains the different words

and terms linked to transgender

identity.

The guide also looks at where

to go to get help, who to talk to,

transitioning, and the practical

steps to take if you or someone

you know is transgender.

The guide was created by the

Care Management Group and

CHANGE after focus groups with

people supported by CMG and

Choice Support.

Introduction

Sex and gender

Your sex describes the physical

body parts you were born with.

This means whether you were

born with a penis or vagina

(genitals) and described as

male or female based on these

body parts.

When we talk about sex in this

way, this is different to sexual

intercourse.

Gender is different to sex and

is how male or female you feel

you are.

If you have male genitals you

may feel you are actually female.

If you have female genitals you

may feel you are actually male.

Sometimes you may be unsure

about how you feel about your

gender.

Transgender – what does it mean?

Being transgender is when

you know there is a difference

between your physical sex and

your inner sense of being.

This means a difference

between the genitals you were

born with and your inner sense

of being male or female.

When this becomes distressful

for a person it is called Gender

Dysphoria.

You may have been born with

male genitals but feel you are

female.

Or you may have been born

with female genitals but feel you

are male.

You may feel somewhere

in-between.

Gender, or how male or female

you feel, depends on the

individual.

Most transgender people don’t

choose their gender, it’s just who

they are.

Practical steps and what to do

Whatever stage you are at talk

to someone you trust, you will

need support and empathy.

Empathy is when someone you

trust will understand the feelings

you are having.

Telling people how you feel can

be emotionally and physically

difficult.

Telling your family might be

difficult.

Agree with people you trust how

and when your family will be

told.

If any member of your family

reacts negatively, you may need

support to help them to be okay

with you.

If you are supported in

Shared Lives, Supported

Living or Residential Care

your support team will need

to be supportive and have

information to help you.

Join a local trans support group

if there is one and talk to people

who have experienced what

you are experiencing.

Talk to your GP and get advice.

If the GP is not helpful or

supportive, ask to see another

GP in the practice.

Gather information from trans

resources, publications, and

websites.

See pages 25 – 28 for examples

Talk to other professionals who

can help you. For example a

psychologist.

Have people around you who

support you.

Take your time, transitioning can

take a long time. On average it

takes 2-3 years.

Talk to people in your trans

support group if you want help

with your appearance. For

example your clothes and hair.

When you have support, use

those people to understand

transitioning.

Find safe spaces to appear as

the man or woman you want to

be.

This could include trans social

events, if there are any near you.

Use your safe space to wear the

clothes you want without feeling

like you stand out.

Support people to understand

how to address you. For

example your name and

whether to use he, she, or

another term.

Some people may make

mistakes when they address you.

You can gently correct them. It

gets better with time.

Get support to understand

which toilets to use.

The accepted view is that if you

are presenting as a gender you

use those toilets.

This means if your appearance

is female you use female toilets.

Whatever stage you are at

do what is right for you.

Take things slowly, this is the best

way to do things.

Transition

Transition is a period of time

where you change your

gender identity to what you

want it to be.

This means changing the

appearance to the gender you

feel you are.

You can change your identity

socially, medically or both.

Transitioning socially means

changing how you appear and

act in the world.

This could include changing

your hair, make-up, clothes,

behaviours, and voice.

Transitioning medically means

changing sex by changing

your physical appearance and

your genitals.

These changes are made with

hormone treatment and during

surgery.

Hormone treatment can help

make you feel more male or

female.

Changes to your body and how

you feel can be slow.

There are different options

in the transition phase and

not everyone has surgery or

hormone treatment.

Transitioning socially will mean

to begin living as the person you

want to be.

To transition medically talk to

your GP, they will refer you to a

Gender Identity Clinic.

There are eight in the UK.

You can also pay privately for

your treatment.

You do not need a mental health

assessment to be referred to a

Gender Identity Clinic.

It may take up to a year or more

for your first appointment.

To transition socially and

medically you should have

access to counselling.

You can find more information

about Gender Identity Clinics

here: https://gic.nhs.uk/

Part of transitioning is changing

your name, and your gender and

title on official documents.

You can change your name to

whatever you wish.

See https://deedpolloffice.com

You can change your name

officially by a deed poll.

This is helpful if you want to

change your name on your

passport and driving license.

You can make the changes on

most official documents by law

without a gender recognition

certificate.

A gender recognition certificate

is a legal change of gender.

To get a new birth certificate

with your change of name and

gender you will need to get a

gender recognition certificate.

To change your name on your

passport and driving licence you

will need:

A Gender Recognition

Certificate or,

A new birth or adoption

certificate showing your

acquired gender or,

A letter from your doctor

saying your change of

gender is permanent.

See https://gov.uk

This is an overview of the

transition phase. For more

information contact one of the

organisations in the guide or

speak to your GP.

In making this guide we ran focus groups. In these focus

groups people gave us their thoughts and talked about the

issues they had experienced. These are on the next page.

There is a high suicide rate for

people who are transgender.

You are recreating your

identity. You are rebuilding

who you are.

Being in an in-between

place is always hard.

It’s always hard if you don’t

fit in a box. Definitions can

be difficult.

Transitioning can affect your

mental health e.g. pain and

depression, shame and guilt.

Public toilets can

be difficult.

You can experience

hate crimes.

Families can be

controlling.

Thoughts

and issues

Shifting identity can be

isolating for a person.

Transitioning is a change in

your physical and mental

make-up.

It’s difficult when people

get your name and

gender wrong.

The in-between stage

leaves you vulnerable.

Religious beliefs can

affect your decision.

You can lose a sense of

belonging.

You have to re-learn

how to dress.

You experience stigma.

You have to deal with

peoples’ opinions and

people judge your

appearance.

There is social

pressure to be a

certain way.

Thoughts

and issues

Who to talk to and where to go to get

the help you need

Speak to someone you trust, this

could be:

A family member

A friend

Someone who supports you

An advocate

A professional like your GP

A counsellor or a psychologist

A staff member

At a face to face trans support

group

A local trans night or event

In the following section is a list of

support groups you can contact

or places to find resources and

information online.

Clare project

Transgender support and social group in Brighton

Depend

Support group for families and friends in the UK

Gender Trust

Supporting adults whose lives are affected by gender identity issues

GIRES

Gender Identity Research and Education Society

Imaan

Support for LGBT Muslims and trans Muslims

Intersex UK

Education, advocacy, campaigning and support organisation

Organisations

clareproject.org.uk

depend.org.uk

gendertrust.wordpress.com

gires.org.uk

imaanlondon.wordpress.com

ukia.co.uk

Press for Change

Legal advice, training, and research for trans people as well

as representative, public and private bodies

Mermaids

Support for teenagers and children

Trans Bare All

Events and retreats to help members of the trans community

Trans*formation

Advocacy group for professionals who identify as trans

Trans London

Support and social group for trans people in London

Trans Resource and Empowerment Centre

Based in Manchester with monthly meetings, talks and workshops

pfc.org.uk

mermaidsuk.org.uk

transbareall.co.uk

transformationuk.com

translondon.org.uk

transcentre.org.uk

TransUnite

Resource for people in the UK searching for support in the

transgender community

Twilight People

London based project that celebrates the hidden history of

transgender and gender variant people of faith in the UK

The Beaumont Society

National self-help body

Scottish Transgender Alliance

Support for trans people, equality organisations,

policymakers, and employers in Scotland

transunite.co.uk

twilightpeople.com/the-project

beaumontsociety.org.uk

scottishtrans.org

allabouttrans.org.uk/support-organisations/

For more organisations connected to transgender training,

youth, activism, health, housing and sport go to:

genderedintelligence.co.uk/

trans-community/resources

theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/

nov/29/transgender-advice-best-resources-online

www.susans.org

transgenderzone.com

tsroadmap.com

For more resources and information go to:

Introduction

Words and terms

Gender Identity

Gender Identity is your personal

experience of your gender.

Gender Binary

Gender Binary is where people

think a person can only be

either male or female, or either

masculine or feminine.

Non-Binary

Non-binary is a term for gender

identities that do not fall into the

male and female opposites.

Gender Identity can be the same

as your sex at birth or it can differ

from it.

Gender variance

Gender variance is behaviour

or expression by a person that

does not match male and female

gender norms.

Gender Dysphoria

A medical term for when a

person is distressed about the

difference between the gender

that they feel and their

physical sex.

Trans / gender

Transgender is a term used to

describe people whose gender

identity differs from their birth

sex.

Developed by Care Management Group,

CHANGE and Choice Support

Transgender

an easy read guide

Thanks to Persia West