London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

Changes to gender recognition laws ruled out

Changes to gender recognition laws ruled out

Ministers have ruled out changes to make it easier for transgender people in England and Wales to have their gender legally recognised.

They have rejected calls for people to be able to self-identify their gender and change their birth certificates without a medical diagnosis.

Ministers said reform of the 2004 Gender Recognition Act was not the "top priority" for trans people.

The UK's equalities watchdog said it was a "missed opportunity".

But women's rights groups applauded the decision as a "victory for fairness and common sense".

Ministers are pledging action to make it easier for trans people to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate and to improve healthcare services for them.

But LGBT groups had urged them to go much further, by making it easier for people to legally transition from their birth sex and to provide greater protection under the law.

Currently, the Gender Recognition Act requires trans people to go through a long process in order to change their birth certificates.

A "self-ID" process, allowing changes to birth certificates without a medical diagnosis, was one of the ideas put forward in a consultation undertaken by the last Conservative government, led by Theresa May.

Of the 102,818 responses received, 64% said there should not be a requirement for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria in the future, on the grounds that being trans was neither a medical nor a mental health issue.

But, in a statement, Equalities Minister Liz Truss said she believed the law as it stood provided the right "checks and balances".

"We want transgender people to be free to live and to prosper in a modern Britain," she said.

"It is the government's view that the balance struck in this legislation is correct, in that there are proper checks and balances in the system and also support for people who want to change their legal sex.

"We have also come to understand that gender recognition reform, though supported in the consultation undertaken by the last government, is not the top priority for transgender people."

Analysis: Jessica Parker, BBC Political Correspondent


It's now nearly three years since Theresa May talked about "de-medicalising" the gender recognition process.

And it raised hopes, in some quarters, that fundamental reforms were on the way.

Elsewhere, it raised fears that women's rights were set to be eroded.

And as that debate raged, ministers seemed to retreat from the scene, unwilling or unsure about how to publicly deal with this political 'hot potato'.

And although an official response remained missing in action, it did increasingly become clear that Boris Johnson's administration was unlikely to back what's known as self-ID.

Now, finally, ministers have made up their mind.

It's a no to changing the law - albeit a yes to cutting the costs of the process.

And there are promises to try and address some very real concerns about healthcare.

While that move will be welcomed by many, such measures may also be perceived as a way of trying to sweeten the pill for those who are disappointed about the lack of legal reform.

What next?

After the drawn out delays in Whitehall - and divisive debates in some communities - it's very doubtful that this government will seek to delve into the self-ID debate again any time soon.

Ms Truss said the 2010 Equality Act, landmark legislation passed towards the end of the last Labour government, "clearly protects" transgender people from discrimination while allowing service providers to restrict access to single sex spaces on the basis of biological sex if there is a clear justification.

Kinder process


The government is pledging to cut the time involved in applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate, making the process "kinder and more straightforward", as well as reducing the £140 cost to a "nominal" amount.

And it is also promising to cut waiting times at NHS gender clinics.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission welcomed the steps but said it regretted the fact that ministers had passed up an opportunity to "simplify the law".

"There is more to be done to increase understanding in wider society and address the divisive public dialogue in this space," a spokesman said.

Stonewall, which campaigns for equality for lesbian, bisexual, gay and trans people, said the "minimal administrative" changes being proposed were totally inadequate.


Trans rights campaigners outside Holyrood calling for reforms


"While these moves will make the current process less costly and bureaucratic, they don't go anywhere near far enough toward meaningfully reforming the Act to make it easier for all trans people to go about their daily life," said the organisation's chief executive Nancy Kelley.

'Fair balance'


And, in a joint statement, Amnesty International UK, Liberty and Human Rights Watch said it was a "missed opportunity" to ensure the law kept pace with "human rights standards".

"Research has found that medical barriers to gender recognition for trans people are unnecessarily intrusive and can harm their physical and mental health," the three organisations said.

"With medical requirements still in place, trans people will continue to be forced through harmful processes to have their gender legally recognised."

But Fair Play for Women, a group committed to defending the sex-based rights of women, said Ms Truss had made the right decision.

It said the government had "acknowledged women are stakeholders too and policies must fairly balance the conflicting rights of trans people and women".

"Trans people in the UK have some of the strongest legal protections in the world. That does not change today."

In Scotland, plans that would have allowed trans people to self-identify have been put on hold following criticism from across the political spectrum, including from within the SNP.

A draft bill published by the Scottish government in December would have removed the requirement for people to provide medical evidence of their diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

No change is now expected before next year's Holyrood elections although Scottish minsters say they remain "committed" to updating the law so people can get a gender recognition certificate without "unnecessary stress".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
×