A chink of light?

I had my annual review with my Consultant Psychologist a few days ago which was an empowering experience as I realised how far I have come in relation to my transition and that, as he confirmed, I have transitioned. One of the topics we discussed was that of transphobia and I had explained that the lockdown had meant I had developed some anxiety which had not really been there, or at least I was dealing with it, by being out and about which of course I had not been able to do in the same way.

His practice is almost solely involved with trans care both privately and within the NHS and his take was that although transphobia had reached alarming levels he felt that it was starting to slow down a bit and be seen as the extreme minority fringe it really was. He brought up the recent Gender Critical arguments saying that women were in as bad a situation with the woke trans activists in the UK as the Afghan women were with the Taliban which he saw as the most ridiculous view and beyond belief showing the stupid extremes that the gender critics were prepared to go to but did them no favours.

He also told me how he has experience with the Welsh Government and that they had made a position statement saying they aimed to be the most friendly LBQT country in Europe and that all of their GPs in the Welsh NHS were to be trained and brought up to speed in relation to trans healthcare. At the weekend the SNP and the Green Party agreed a form of co-operation in which Trans rights and Self ID reform were at the top of the agenda. Their proposal there would no longer be a need for a clinical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. Needless to say that the gender critical have raised their concerns saying the Scottish Government should follow the Westminster Government’s decision to drop such legislation.

We also discussed the question of Gender Recognition Certificates. I had raised this as I needed the required letter from him to submit, in my case, to the Scottish Government. I was interested that it was his view that anyone who wants a GRC should get on with it before Westminster become more difficult. On a couple of instances recently, he had had to amplify and change the information he had previously supplied for  a GRC certificate recently. He felt that there had been a hardening of the position and that the goal posts may be moving. I was pleased that mine will be going to Scotland.

So hopefully I will have a GRC in the not too distant future and all of the appropriate paperwork will be done and completed. The fact that the two devolved governments seem willing to move forward however I do see as sign of progress and just perhaps there is a chink of light on the horizon.