Latest news with #genderrecognition
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
JK Rowling hits out at Nicola Sturgeon in the wake of NHS Fife trans row
JK Rowling has reignited her feud with Nicola Sturgeon - and blamed her for the SNP's handling of the NHS Fife trans row. The Harry Potter author said the Scottish Government's continued defence of the 'hapless, unprofessional, ideologically captured health board' was the former First Minister's 'legacy'. First Minister John Swinney and Health Secretary Neil Gray both insist they have confidence in NHS Fife despite criticism over its behaviour during the Sandie Peggie tribunal. Mrs Peggie, 51, was suspended after she refused to get changed alongside a male-born doctor. Yesterday, Ms Rowling said: ' Nicola Sturgeon 's legacy: a government that publicly backs the hapless, unprofessional, ideologically captured health board that's persecuting a nurse for asserting her legal right to a single-sex changing room.' It is the latest broadside levelled at the former First Minister by the multi-millionaire children's author, who has a net worth of £945 million. In 2022, Ms Rowling wore a T-shirt which branded Ms Sturgeon a 'destroyer of women's rights' in protest against the Scottish Government's gender recognition reform laws, which were later blocked by the UK Government. The move prompted Ms Sturgeon to call for those with strong views to 'treat each other with respect'. She said: 'I have always thought that on this issue, where people have very strong views, we should all try to treat each other with respect and that is what I will continue to do.' The row escalated after a landmark Supreme Court ruling in April, which clarified that a woman is biologically female for the purposes of equalities laws, when Ms Rowling compared Ms Sturgeon to Pontius Pilate, who ordered Jesus' crucifixtion. After Ms Sturgeon refused to comment on the ruling, Ms Rowling mocked her silence by sharing a social media selfie of the Glasgow MSP in the gym on Easter Monday calling her 'Pontius Pilates'. In the Bible, Pontius Pilate did not believe that Jesus had committed a crime but condemned him to death because the crowd called for it. And last month, after Ms Sturgeon chaired a discussion about the witch trials in Scotland, Ms Rowling hit out at her adversary again. She said: 'If Sturgeon had been around in the 1500s she'd have been right there lighting the pyres. 'Ungodly women like this not only blight the crops and turn the milk, they almost certainly put a spell on my husband which made him pilfer all the tithes.' The author has consistently stuck up for women's rights in recent years - and has even pledged to personally fund gender-critical legal actions. The 'fighting fund' is helping women who have lost their livelihoods or are facing employment tribunals because of their views on sex-based rights. The criteria covers those who 'don't have adequate means to bring actions to court or to defend themselves'. It was publicly announced in May after prisoner Jane Sutherley said she was considering suing the Scottish Prison Service after she was forced to share facilities with transgender women.
Telegraph
16-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Legal gender transitions hit record high in the UK
Almost 10,000 gender recognition certificates have been granted in the UK, analysis shows. The 1,169 certificates (GRCs) issued in the year to March 2025, which allow a person's acquired gender to be recognised legally in the country, is the highest since the scheme began in 2005. The figure is more than three times the number in 2019-20, when it stood at just 364. It is thought that the surge is down to the changes in the certification process, including a cut in fees, combined with more applications from young people. Nearly a quarter of certificates granted in the latest year were for people born since 2000, and 68 per cent were for those born since 1990, up from 4 per cent and 41 per cent respectively in 2019-20. The data from the Ministry of Justice shows a total of 9,633 GRCs had been granted in the UK up to March 2025. The findings follow the Supreme Court ruling that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act referred to biological sex, not acquired gender. Under the ruling, a transgender women with a GRC can be excluded from single-sex spaces if 'proportionate'. The ruling led the boss of Britain's equalities regulator to suggest that while it does not mean GRCs are 'worthless', their efficacy could be re-examined. Baroness Falkner of Margravine, the chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) told BBC Radio 4's Today programme in the days after the ruling: 'I think the next stage of litigation may well be tests as to the efficacy of the GRC, and or other areas.' Asked about whether she thought GRCs were worthless, she replied: 'We don't believe they are. We think they're quite important.' Government advice on how to apply for a GRC states that the Supreme Court ruling does not affect the application process, but advises people to contact the EHRC if they have questions. The Gender Recognition Act came into effect on April 4 2005, giving adults the right legally to change the gender that was recorded on their birth certificate. Applications are made to the Gender Recognition Panel, a body of legal and medical experts, who issue a certificate only if the application meets the necessary criteria. GRC applications hit a record 1,517 in 2024-25, up from 1,397 the previous year and 443 in 2019-20. The application fee for a certificate was cut in May 2021 from £140 to £5, while there was a switch to online applications in July 2022. A GRC is granted if the applicant has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria; has lived in the acquired gender for at least two years and intends to live in that gender for the rest of their life. PA analysis showed the age of those receiving GRCs had changed considerably over the past decade. Some 63 per cent of certificates issued in 2014-15 went to people born before 1980 – but by 2024-25 this had dropped sharply to just 17 per cent. By contrast, people born from 1980 onwards accounted for 83 per cent of certificates in the most recent year, up from 37 per cent a decade earlier. More recently, there has been a steady increase in the proportion of certificates going to people born since 2000, up from 4 per cent in 2019-20 to 24 per cent in 2024-25. The age group currently responsible for the biggest proportion is people born in the 1990s, who accounted for 45 per cent of the total in the year to March 2025. The balance in applications between males and females has also changed over time. In 2005-06, the first full year that certificates were available, more than three-quarters (77 per cent) were granted to people whose sex at birth was male, with just under a quarter (23 per cent) going to those who were female. By 2015-16, the gap between these percentages had narrowed at 67 per cent and 33 per cent, and in 2023-24 the figures were almost equal, at 52 per cent for males and 48 per cent for females. In the most recent year of 2024/25, the gap widened slightly with 55 per cent of certificates granted to people whose sex at birth was male and 45 per cent for those who were female. Nearly one in 10 people receiving certificates in the year to March 2025 were part of a married couple – a proportion that has been relatively stable since the law was changed in 2014 to allow some applicants to remain married while obtaining gender recognition. Of the 1,169 certificates granted in 2024/25, 109 (9 per cent) were for married applicants with the vast majority – 1,033 (88 per cent) – for people who were single, while 27 were recorded as 'other/unknown'.
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Number of Brits granted gender recognition certificates triples in just five years amid rise in Gen Z and millennial applications
Almost 10,000 gender recognition certificates (GRCs) have been granted in the UK since their introduction two decades ago, with an increasing proportion going to young adults, analysis shows. Some 1,169 GRCs were issued in the year to March 2025, more than three times the number in 2019/20, when it stood at just 364. It is also the highest annual total since 2005/06, which was the first full year that the scheme - which allows a person's acquired gender to be recognised legally in the country - was in operation. The surge is likely to reflect recent changes in the certification process, including a big cut in fees, combined with more applications from young people. Nearly a quarter (24%) of certificates granted in the latest year were for people born since 2000 - loosely known as Generation Z - and 68% were for those born since 1990, up from 4% and 41% respectively in 2019/20. The latest year also saw the highest annual total of GRCs since the first full year the scheme began - in 2005/06. A total of almost 10,000 GRCs have been handed out across the country since then. The surge in recent years is likely to reflect changes in the certification process, including a big cut in fees, combined with more young people applying. The age of those receiving GRCs has considerably changed in the past decade. People born before 1980 accounted for some 63 per cent of certificates ten years ago, in 2014/15. But this number has dropped sharply since then, to just 17 per cent in 2024/25. It is now people born after 1980 who account for the bulk (83 per cent) of certificates issued, as per the figures from the latest year. This is a massive change compared to how many people of this age were receiving certificates ten years ago (37 per cent). But the single age group currently responsible for the biggest proportion of certificates is those born in the 1990s. They accounted for 45 per cent of the total certificates issued in the year to March 2025. The findings come after the Supreme Court's ruling in April on the definition of sex within the 2010 Equality Act. Judges ruled the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. This means transgender women with a GRC can be excluded from single-sex spaces if deemed 'proportionate'. The ruling was celebrated by women's rights activists including author JK Rowling. But its opponents have said they fear it could put trans and non-binary people at renewed risk of attacks and discrimination. After the ruling, the boss of Britain's equalities regulator suggested while it does not mean GRCs are 'worthless', their 'efficacy' could be re-examined. Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think the next stage of litigation may well be tests as to the efficacy of the GRC and/or other areas.' Asked if she thinks GRCs are now 'worthless', she replied: 'We don't believe they are. We think they're quite important.' Government advice on how to apply for a GRC states the Supreme Court ruling does not affect the application process. But it advises people to contact the EHRC if they have questions about the ruling. The Gender Recognition Act came into effect on April 4, 2005, giving adults the right legally to change the sex recorded on their birth certificate. This is done by applying for a GRC, a document legally recognising their acquired gender, if they have met the application criteria. This allows their sex to be changed 'for all purposes' to correspond with their acquired gender, with the sex on their birth certificate changed to reflect this. It would allows someone registered as male at birth to become a woman and vice versa, under the Act. Applications are made to the Gender Recognition Panel, a body of legal and medical experts, who issue a certificate only if the application meets the necessary criteria. A GRC is granted if the applicant has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria; has lived in the acquired gender for at least two years; and intends to live in that gender for the rest of their life. GRC applications hit a record 1,517 in the latest year - up from 1,397 in 2023/24 and more than three times the number recorded in 2019/20 (443). The application fee for a certificate was cut in May 2021 from £140 to £5 - and there was a switch to online applications in July 2022. The numbers of men and women applying for GRCs has changed since the scheme was introduced two decades ago. In its first full year (2005/06), more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of certificates were given to those whose sex at birth was male. Meanwhile, those whose sex at birth was female received just under a quarter (23 per cent) of all certificates handed out. The balance changed across the next ten years, with these figures respectively changing to 67 per cent and 33 per cent in 2015/16. By 2023/24, the split had actually become almost completely even. While 52 per cent of certificates were issued to those whose sex at birth was male, 48 per cent were given to those whose sex at birth was female. The split has become slightly more uneven in the most recent year, of 2024/25 - to 55 per cent for males at birth and 45 per cent to females at birth. Nearly one in ten receiving certificates in the year to March 2025 were part of a married couple. This proportion has been relatively stable since the law was changed in 2014 to allow some applicants to remain married while obtaining gender recognition. Of the 1,169 certificates granted in 2024/25, 109 (9 per cent) were for married applicants. But the vast majority - 1,033 (88 per cent) - were issued to people who were single, while 27 were recorded as 'other/unknown'. April's Supreme Court judgement marked the culmination of a long-running legal battle between the Scottish government and a women's group. It was over the definition of a 'woman' in Scottish legislation mandating 50 percent female representation on public boards. The case centred on whether somebody with a GRC recognising their gender as female should be treated as a woman under the 2010 Equality Act. The outcome will have implications in England, Scotland and Wales. Lord Hodge recognised 'the strength of feeling on both sides' and cautioned against seeing the judgement as 'a triumph for one side over another'. He stressed the law still gives trans people protection against discrimination. The judge said: 'The Equality Act gives transgender people protection not only against discrimination through the protected characteristics of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, and harassment, in substance in their acquired gender.' He added: 'On the one hand women, who make up one half of the population, have campaigned for over 150 years to have equality with men and to combat discrimination based on their sex. That work still continues. 'On the other hand, a vulnerable and often harassed minority, the trans community, struggle against discrimination and prejudice as they seek to live their lives with dignity.' Human rights organisation Amnesty International has since also emphasised: 'The court has been clear that trans people are protected under the Equality Act against discrimination and harassment. 'The ruling does not change the protection trans people are afforded under the protected characteristic of 'gender reassignment', as well as other provisions under the Equality Act... 'The Supreme Court itself made clear that the vilification of a marginalised minority group is absolutely wrong.' 'All public authorities in the UK need to unequivocally enforce protections for trans people against discrimination and harassment.'
The Independent
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Almost 10,000 gender certificates granted amid rise in Gen Z applications
Almost 10,000 gender recognition certificates (GRCs) have been granted in the UK since their introduction two decades ago, with an increasing proportion going to young adults, analysis shows. Some 1,169 GRCs were issued in the year to March 2025, more than three times the number in 2019/20, when it stood at just 364. It is also the highest annual total since 2005/06, which was the first full year that the scheme – which allows a person's acquired gender to be recognised legally in the country – was in operation. The surge is likely to reflect recent changes in the certification process, including a big cut in fees, combined with more applications from young people. Nearly a quarter (24%) of certificates granted in the latest year were for people born since 2000 – loosely known as Generation Z – and 68% were for those born since 1990, up from 4% and 41% respectively in 2019/20. The analysis has been compiled by the PA news agency using data published by the Ministry of Justice, which shows a total of 9,633 GRCs had been granted in the UK up to March 2025. The findings come after the Supreme Court's ruling in April on the definition of sex, which followed a dispute centred on whether someone with a GRC recognising their gender as female should be treated as a woman under the UK 2010 Equality Act. In a long-awaited judgment, the court confirmed the terms woman and sex in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. This means transgender women with a GRC can be excluded from single-sex spaces if 'proportionate'. In the wake of the ruling the boss of Britain's equalities regulator suggested that while it does not mean GRCs are 'worthless', their 'efficacy' could be re-examined. Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) told BBC Radio 4's Today programme in the days after the ruling: 'I think the next stage of litigation may well be tests as to the efficacy of the GRC, and or other areas.' Asked about whether she thinks GRCs are now 'worthless', she replied: 'We don't believe they are. We think they're quite important.' Government advice on how to apply for a GRC states that the Supreme Court ruling does not affect the application process, but advises people to contact the EHRC if they have questions. The Gender Recognition Act came into effect on April 4 2005, giving adults the right legally to change the gender that was recorded on their birth certificate. This is done by applying for a GRC, a document that shows a person has satisfied the criteria for changing their legal gender. Applications are made to the Gender Recognition Panel, a body of legal and medical experts, who issue a certificate only if the application meets the necessary criteria. GRC applications hit a record 1,517 in 2024/25, up from 1,397 the previous year and 443 in 2019/20. The application fee for a certificate was cut in May 2021 from £140 to £5, while there was a switch to online applications in July 2022. A GRC is granted if the applicant has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria; has lived in the acquired gender for at least two years, and intends to live in that gender for the rest of their life. PA analysis shows the age of those receiving GRCs has changed considerably over the past decade. Some 63% of certificates issued in 2014/15 went to people born before 1980 – but by 2024/25 this had dropped sharply to just 17%. By contrast, people born from 1980 onwards accounted for 83% of certificates in the most recent year, up from 37% a decade earlier. More recently, there has been a steady increase in the proportion of certificates going to people born since 2000, up from 4% in 2019/20 to 24% in 2024/25. The age group currently responsible for the biggest proportion is people born in the 1990s, who accounted for 45% of the total in the year to March 2025. The balance in applications between males and females has also changed over time. In 2005/06, the first full year that certificates were available, more than three-quarters (77%) were granted to people whose sex at birth was male, with just under a quarter (23%) going to those who were female. By 2015/16 the gap between these percentages had narrowed at 67% and 33%, and in 2023/24 the figures were almost equal, at 52% for males and 48% for females. In the most recent year of 2024/25, the gap widened slightly with 55% of certificates granted to people whose sex at birth was male and 45% for those who were female. Nearly one in 10 people receiving certificates in the year to March 2025 were part of a married couple – a proportion that has been relatively stable since the law was changed in 2014 to allow some applicants to remain married while obtaining gender recognition. Of the 1,169 certificates granted in 2024/25, 109 (9%) were for married applicants with the vast majority – 1,033 (88%) – for people who were single, while 27 were recorded as 'other/unknown'.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Almost 10,000 gender certificates granted amid rise in Gen Z applications
Almost 10,000 gender recognition certificates (GRCs) have been granted in the UK since their introduction two decades ago, with an increasing proportion going to young adults, analysis shows. Some 1,169 GRCs were issued in the year to March 2025, more than three times the number in 2019/20, when it stood at just 364. It is also the highest annual total since 2005/06, which was the first full year that the scheme – which allows a person's acquired gender to be recognised legally in the country – was in operation. The surge is likely to reflect recent changes in the certification process, including a big cut in fees, combined with more applications from young people. Nearly a quarter (24%) of certificates granted in the latest year were for people born since 2000 – loosely known as Generation Z – and 68% were for those born since 1990, up from 4% and 41% respectively in 2019/20. The analysis has been compiled by the PA news agency using data published by the Ministry of Justice, which shows a total of 9,633 GRCs had been granted in the UK up to March 2025. The findings come after the Supreme Court's ruling in April on the definition of sex, which followed a dispute centred on whether someone with a GRC recognising their gender as female should be treated as a woman under the UK 2010 Equality Act. In a long-awaited judgment, the court confirmed the terms woman and sex in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. This means transgender women with a GRC can be excluded from single-sex spaces if 'proportionate'. In the wake of the ruling the boss of Britain's equalities regulator suggested that while it does not mean GRCs are 'worthless', their 'efficacy' could be re-examined. Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) told BBC Radio 4's Today programme in the days after the ruling: 'I think the next stage of litigation may well be tests as to the efficacy of the GRC, and or other areas.' Asked about whether she thinks GRCs are now 'worthless', she replied: 'We don't believe they are. We think they're quite important.' Government advice on how to apply for a GRC states that the Supreme Court ruling does not affect the application process, but advises people to contact the EHRC if they have questions. The Gender Recognition Act came into effect on April 4 2005, giving adults the right legally to change the gender that was recorded on their birth certificate. This is done by applying for a GRC, a document that shows a person has satisfied the criteria for changing their legal gender. Applications are made to the Gender Recognition Panel, a body of legal and medical experts, who issue a certificate only if the application meets the necessary criteria. GRC applications hit a record 1,517 in 2024/25, up from 1,397 the previous year and 443 in 2019/20. The application fee for a certificate was cut in May 2021 from £140 to £5, while there was a switch to online applications in July 2022. A GRC is granted if the applicant has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria; has lived in the acquired gender for at least two years, and intends to live in that gender for the rest of their life. PA analysis shows the age of those receiving GRCs has changed considerably over the past decade. Some 63% of certificates issued in 2014/15 went to people born before 1980 – but by 2024/25 this had dropped sharply to just 17%. By contrast, people born from 1980 onwards accounted for 83% of certificates in the most recent year, up from 37% a decade earlier. More recently, there has been a steady increase in the proportion of certificates going to people born since 2000, up from 4% in 2019/20 to 24% in 2024/25. The age group currently responsible for the biggest proportion is people born in the 1990s, who accounted for 45% of the total in the year to March 2025. The balance in applications between males and females has also changed over time. In 2005/06, the first full year that certificates were available, more than three-quarters (77%) were granted to people whose sex at birth was male, with just under a quarter (23%) going to those who were female. By 2015/16 the gap between these percentages had narrowed at 67% and 33%, and in 2023/24 the figures were almost equal, at 52% for males and 48% for females. In the most recent year of 2024/25, the gap widened slightly with 55% of certificates granted to people whose sex at birth was male and 45% for those who were female. Nearly one in 10 people receiving certificates in the year to March 2025 were part of a married couple – a proportion that has been relatively stable since the law was changed in 2014 to allow some applicants to remain married while obtaining gender recognition. Of the 1,169 certificates granted in 2024/25, 109 (9%) were for married applicants with the vast majority – 1,033 (88%) – for people who were single, while 27 were recorded as 'other/unknown'.
