Transsexuals should be able to simply “self-identify their gender” rather than discussing their condition with a doctor, Jeremy Corbyn has said.
The Labour leader called on the Government to “update” the current law at an LGBT event which also saw the Education Secretary disparage people who hold traditional views on sexuality.
Justine Greening said there were merely “pockets” of people who do not support the current LGBT agenda – and they should be opposed by the Government.
Jeremy Corbyn said it was wrong that the current law does not allow transsexuals to self-identify and “forces them to undergo invasive medical tests”.
He said his party would assist the Government in changing the law.
Currently, an adult who has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and lived for two years as a person of the opposite sex, can apply for a gender recognition certificate. They are issued with a new birth certificate declaring that they were born in their chosen gender.
Fewer than 5,000 have been granted since the 2004 legislation came into force.
His comments come as it was revealed that NHS Scotland has spent at least £2 million on sex-change procedures over the last four years.
The Herald newspaper welcomed the figures and said it should be easier for procedures to be carried out in the future.
A spokesman for The Christian Institute said the comments were disappointing.
“Gender dysphoria is a psychological condition. People who believe they are trapped in the wrong body need patient help to come to terms with reality.”
The Institute’s Simon Calvert has previously written about the issue, saying transsexuals are entitled to the same dignity as anyone else, but that politicians must not force people to agree with transsexualism itself.
For more information, read our briefing. Transsexualism – wanting to change physical sex because you feel you are ‘in the wrong body’ – has become an increasingly high-profile issue. People in the public eye have ‘changed their sex’, and the media normalises transsexualism. There has been a corresponding push for greater transsexual rights. This briefing introduces some of the issues at stake.
Transsexualism