The UK government have announced that the fee to apply for a gender recognition certificate has been cut to just £5. This change is set to come into place from September. The £5 cost is a significant reduction. Previously, it had cost £140 to legally change gender. after deciding against wider reforms.
The Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss, has hailed the move and described the reduction of this cost as the removal of a “barrier” for transgender people. Currently, the government estimate that there are between 200,000 and 500,000 transgender people in the UK.
UNN’s Oliver Down understands that since 2005 5,871 full GRCs have been granted. Some groups have questioned if the government’s reforms go far enough. Lee Clatworthy, from the charity Sparkle, has said that even after the slashing of costs, the process remains “overly long-winded” and a reduction in cost “won’t compel more to apply”.
Liz Truss has said: “As we build back better, we want transgender people to be free to live and to prosper in modern Britain. In the National LGBT Survey, 34% of transgender people told us that the cost of applying for a certificate was holding them back from doing so. Today we have removed that barrier, and I am proud that we have made the process of getting a certificate fairer, simpler and much more affordable”.
UNN’s Oliver Down has also learnt that the government are set to enable this application process to be done online in the very near future.
Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
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