2007 Media Releases
Thursday 13 December, 2007
Bureaucratic hurdles lead to more transgender surgery
Transgender people face a difficult – and sometimes dangerous – struggle to amend key documentation so they can be recognised in their preferred gender.
Murray Couch, a researcher in La Trobe University’s Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, says a study released today reveals that bureaucratic requirements can ‘force people towards expensive and sometimes unwanted surgery in order to be legally and socially accepted’.
The La Trobe study involved 253 transgender people in Australia and New Zealand. It found that more than half had tried to amend important public documentation to reflect their new gender identity.
Their experience, even within the same organisations, was unpredictable, frustrating and relied almost entirely on their capacity to prove they had undergone surgery for a ‘sex change’. However, surgery was expensive and difficult to obtain and was not an option for many transgender people.
Mr Couch says at least a quarter of participants who had not undergone surgery tried to change documentation and were unsuccessful, despite the fact that they were living in the gender they wished to adopt.
A mismatch between gender presentation and identifying documents such as passports, can expose transgender people to discrimination and danger, especially in airports where their identity was frequently questioned.
‘We would like to see more flexibility in this process which is a critical one for the health and well-being of many people,’ he says.
Other key findings of the survey were that twenty per cent of the participants in the study had been physically attacked – and ninety per cent had experienced discrimination and abuse on the basis of gender, leading to a likelihood of depression and ongoing fears for their safety.
‘Despite this, the majority were happy with their life,’ Mr Couch says. ‘Almost two thirds reported they felt mostly, or extremely happy. Finding a way to live safely and comfortably in their preferred gender, and gaining legal and social recognition for the change, for many brought great happiness. So did support from friends, family and work colleagues.’
· The report will be launched this afternoon, 5 pm, at La Trobe University’s City campus, 215 Franklin St, Melbourne, by Dee McLachlan whose film, The Jammed, won the top ‘Inside Film’ award for 2007. A full report of the survey is available on www.glhv.org.au
For further information on the research, please contact Murray Couch, Tel: (03) 9285 5137; Mob: 0403 053 922; Email: M.Couch@latrobe.edu.au or Anne Mitchell 0412 513 665 A.Mitchell@latrobe.edu.au To speak to a representative of Transgender Victoria, please call Sally Goldner: 0407 946 242.