This view from a transperson (don't know what gender they identify with) shows how important a thorough debate is.
Although this person is in favour of self ID they also seem to want medical intervention.
None of this has been thought through properly so it's really important for everyone that proper consultations are held.
'If people are wondering why I'm talking so much about transphobia in the UK at the moment, here are some events you may not have heard about that have all happened in the past few months, and some medical facts (please share):
Under pressure, the government backed down from their promise that trans people could self-identify instead of having to spend hundreds of pounds to send a complex dossier to a panel of judges who’ve never met you, who decide what gender you “really” are.
A group of transphobic “feminists” are touring the country, holding meetings where they sit around and denigrate trans women in the name of “debate”. These meetings often include a speaker who just goes through a powerpoint full of images of transgender women and insults them. (there's footage).
The same group were invited into the Palace of Westminster (Parliament) on the 14th of March and held a meeting there, a meeting where transgender people were (illegally) banned, and, in the heart of our democracy, dead named, misgendered, and called trans women “parasites” and not only did no newspapers report it, nothing has been done to oppose or condemn it, despite complaints made to MP's and Parliament itself.
Trans people, and trans children, are being doxxed, and their information shared with the intent of targeted harassment and hatred.
The CEO of the UK’s biggest charity that supports trans and gender non conforming children and their families has had to call in the police because of the amount of hate crimes and threats she has received.
Transphobic women are “self identifying” as trans to swim topless at men’s swimming sessions to protest laws that were passed 18 years ago, and which apparently are a threat to women. This ridicules the struggles of so many transgender people.
A Transphobic group has created a "resource" for schools, which directs schools not to support transgender young people because they'll just grow out of it.
The national press publish a transphobic article almost daily now, and despite having to print retractions, continue to do so. There's a huge trend in hatred, and it's not going anywhere.
Transphobes recently flooded a Scottish government consultation on trans rights, sending in multiple responses, pretending to be all kinds of people, trans, cis, medical professionals, teachers, parents, in order to sabotage our rights.
It’s become almost impossible to source gel testosterone and nobody knows why (it took me visiting eight pharmacies in two cities to get just half my prescription). Many Transgender people have no other hormones in their bodies except for the ones they take, being unable to access necessary medication is catastrophic to their health.
According to the most recent data one in five GP's will still refuse to prescribe hormones to a transgender person, despite being told to by specialists. Many trans people are scared to move GP's as they may suddenly be refused treatment after many years, catapulting their health into disarray.
There's no NHS wide guidelines on how to treat trans patients, and very little training, leading to confusion, disrespect, and danger for them - this is SO important as there's more trans patients in Britain than there are patients with severe arthritis, and there's training and guidelines for that.
There's a fight to remove the legal protections transgender people have under the 2010 Equality Act.
On the NHS the current wait times between a referral and a first appointment at a Gender Identity Clinic (necessary to get any treatment) are a minimum of 9 months, rising to 4 years at some clinics. It takes about 6-9 more months before any medical intervention, and a minimum of three years for any surgery, unless you go privately.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
So, how can you help?
Any time you encounter transphobia, make it very clear you find it unacceptable, be that online, or in person, there are only so many fights we can fight, and constantly justifying our existence is exhausting. You can also report it if it's on social media.
If you have transgender friends, just occasionally remind them that you love and support them, it can be easy to forget that we're supported when the hatred is shouted so loudly.
Inform yourself on transgender issues, I'm happy to answer questions from friends on complex issues, but some trans people just don't want to talk about it, and none of us want to spend our lives explaining the basics when google exists.
Stop buying newspapers which publish outright transphobia - currently the most notable are the Daily Mail, the Times, and the Sunday Times.
Remember, trans people are just people trying to exist in this world, just like you. We eat and read and sleep, and waste too much time on Netflix, just like you. Being transgender isn't all we are, and we shouldn't be discriminated against and hated because of it.