Transgender changes at school?

The Press reports on a call from the Human Rights Commission calling for law changes to recognise the rights of transgender people, including the right to change gender at schools.

Firstly I absolutely accept that transsexuals genuinely feel they have been born into the wrong body, and that changing genders is the best thing for them.  I think Georgina Beyer is an excellent example of someone doing that sucessfully.  I’ve also known a couple of “trans” (one whom you would never have guessed she was born a he) so please don’t bother posting if you think they are deviant or sick, because they’re not.  They’re lovely well adjusted people, the ones I know.

Having said that, I am very cautious about the whole idea of changing genders at school.  To put it mildly, changing your gender is no minor decision (yes I know it isn’t a decision internally, but I mean externally) and like many major things such as marrying or voting you probably shouldn’t do as a child.  Georgina Beyer for example didn’t “change” genders until she was well into adulthood I think. In your teenage years sexual identity can be more fluid that later in life. Having said that, I do appreciate for some teenagers they will be certain.

I’d be interested to know whether there is a huge number of people at school wanting to change their genders.  Yes a couple of examples are given in the news report, but is there a need for central govt to set policy for every school on how to handle what may be very very rare circumstances?

It seems since 1995, only 114 have legally changed gender, which is around 10 people a year.

The wider issue of discrimination is somewhat vexed also. The reality is that if someone who has outwardly been one gender for many years, suddenly turns up to work as a different gender, then there will be reactions.  It might even affect their job if they were for example in a sales role.  Now of course one would hope things would be worked out in a sensible manner, such as employee talking through with the employer that they plan to change their external gender, and the employer working with them as to how to best manage that in a work sense.

Georgina Beyer of course had a private member’s bill on this issue, and she was pressured into dropping it by the Government.  I’m not convinced myself legislation as opposed to education is the answer.