Guidance

The workplace and gender reassignment

This guide gives general advice to civil servants about transsexualism and gender reassignment issues relevant to Civil Service employees.

Documents

Details

Between 1996 and 1999, the legal responsibility of employers to protect transsexual employees from discrimination in the workplace was clearly established by a series of changes in legislation and test cases.

Later, the 2004 Gender Recognition Act provided a further milestone in this climate of change affording some transsexual people, but by no means all, legal rights that had previously been denied.

The Equality Act 2010 has cemented gender reassignment as a protected characteristic. There is a public sector duty requiring public authorities to pay due regard to eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation of transsexual staff and service users, to advance equality and to foster good relations between transsexual people and others.

This should be a catalyst for best practice to provide a working environment that meets the needs of transsexual people, supports their aspirations and improves life chances for them and their families.

Updates to this page

Published 9 May 2014
Last updated 21 March 2019 + show all updates
  1. Removed the PDF attachment as it is out of date and is being updated.

  2. This version incorporates additions and amendments to reflect new terminology. It has been reviewed and endorsed by Civil Service Employee Policy Team and the Civil Service LGB&TI Champion.

  3. First published.

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