Public sector equality duty

Gender reassignment

The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against a person on the basis of gender reassignment.

Gender reassignment is the process of transitioning from one gender to another. People who are undergoing gender reassignment are protected under the law regardless of which stage of transition they are in, or whether their transition is under medical supervision. This means that an individual does not need to have undergone any specific treatment or surgery to be protected by the law.

People who have undergone or are undergoing gender reassignment sometimes refer to themselves as ‘transgender’. 

Transgender is an umbrella term used by people whose gender identity and or gender expression differs from their birth sex.

Southwark Council is committed to promoting equality, irrespective of gender identity and valuing the contribution made by all citizens.

Gender reassignment in Southwark

The Census does not gather data on gender reassignment. Although there has been some work to estimate the number of transgender people in the UK population, estimates vary enormously from 1 in 200 to 1 in 1000 and there is no publicly available statistical data on which to make reliable estimates. Research undertaken by the Office of National Statistics to assess the feasibility of collecting transgender information concluded that asking questions in a survey is not the most appropriate method of data collection due to difficulties such as sample size, privacy and acceptable terminology.

Further information and support

Page last updated: 02 August 2022

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