Transgender Woman Tells Maajid Why Trans People Need The Two Year Hiatus

23 July 2017, 13:54 | Updated: 23 July 2017, 14:55

Dee, a transgender woman, said that those transitioning need to "earn" their womanship before officially changing their gender.

New government plans will enable adults to change their gender legally without a doctor's diagnosis.

Men and women will be able to officially identify themselves as the opposite sex and have their birth certificates altered to record their new gender.

The move will scrap the existing rule, which asks people to live as a man or a woman before officially having their gender changed.

But Dee, a transgender woman, believes that those wishing to officially transition should carry out the two year hiatus in order to earn what she calls "womanship".

She said: "I believe that that is fair. It's a two-year term to become accustomed to being that person of the opposite gender that you were born in."

Maajid asked: "So Dee, you don't agree that the government should scrap that two year hiatus?"

She answered: "I believe they should keep the two year hiatus because that is very important. You have to have time to become accustomed to this new person that you are.

"Even though transexuals are born, they're not made. It is as simple as that, we are born transexual, we're not made transexual."

Maajid said: "But you still need those two years, in your experience, to allow yourself, pragmatically, to transition?"

Dee replied: "I was improving for about two years, you continue to improve. I believe you are going through a second puberty, because you are becoming accustomed to your new body, the new way that you're thinking about things, the way that you deal with people in life, your family, your friends.

"You have to go through these things, Maajid, it's not easy. People think it's easy. Some of the people seem to think we just put on a bit of nail polish, put on a woman's dress, and that's it. It's far, far from that."

She added that the psychological assessments were not easy, but necessary, because professionals have to be sure that "you are going through the correct procedure".

Dee continued: "It's the same as you and I waking up tomorrow morning, going out and buying a dog suit, putting the dog on and saying "my name is now Rufus". It's ridiculous.

"To earn..the womanship, as I call it, you have to earn it, and a lot of women will know where I'm coming from there.

"It's not just a matter of putting on the dress, polishing your nails, there's a lot of things that happen with our bodies."