Trans and intersex equality rights in Europe - European …

1 European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discriminationTrans and intersex equality rights in Europe a comparative analysisIncluding summaries in English, French and GermanJustice and ConsumersEUROPEAN COMMISSIOND irectorate-General for Justice and Consumers Directorate D equality and Union citizenship Unit Non-discrimination and Roma coordinationUnit Gender EqualityEuropean CommissionB-1049 BrusselsEUROPEAN COMMISSIONT rans and intersex equality rights in Europe a comparative analysisAuthorsMarjolein van den BrinkPeter DunneCoordinatorsSusanne BurriAlexandra TimmerNovember 2018 Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers2018 Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European number (*):00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11(*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you).

2 LEGAL NOTICEThis document has been prepared for the European Commission; however, it reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained information on the European Union is available on the Internet ( ).Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2018 ISBN 978-92-79-95764-2 number DS-06-18-129-EN-N European Union, 2018 The text of this report was drafted by Marjolein van den Brink and Peter Dunne, and coordinated by Susanne Burri, Alexandra Timmer and Franka van Hoof for the European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination3 ContentsABBREVIATIONS 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 8R SUM 15 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 231 INTRODUCTION Trans and intersex rights in the EU and EFTA Report.

3 Trans and intersex equality rights in Europe A comparative analysis Methodology Terminology 342. INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL NON-DISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS FOR Trans AND intersex PEOPLE United Nations human rights system Human rights Council, Independent Expert on SOGI and the High Commissioner for Human rights UN human rights treaty bodies UN Human rights Committee UN Committee against Torture UN Committee on the rights of the Child UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Council of Europe human rights system European Court of Human rights equality and non-discrimination Legal gender recognition movements towards recognition Legal gender recognition requirements Reimbursement for gender confirmation treatments Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human rights of the Council of Europe European Union rights system Primary and secondary legislation Court of Justice of the European Union Case law of the CJEU Concluding remarks 533.

4 LEGAL GENDER RECOGNITION Existence of a right to legal gender recognition Procedures for obtaining legal gender recognition judicial or administrative? Conditions for obtaining legal gender recognition Self-determination Conditions for recognition Medicalisation Divorce Age Non-binary recognition Concluding remarks 674. NATIONAL equality AND NON-DISCRIMINATION LAW FRAMEWORKS Legal provisions on Trans and intersex discrimination Material scope of protection National equality bodies and public interest litigation Forms of unequal treatment and conditions for invoking protection Concluding remarks 745. ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE Access to and funding of healthcare services Conditions for access Comparators Lack of case law Concluding remarks 826. SINGLE-SEX FACILITIES Case law Concluding remarks 877. EDUCATION National state of play Concluding remarks 928. RETIREMENT PENSIONS National state of play Concluding remarks 969.

5 EMPLOYMENT Absence because of Trans or intersex -related treatment Discriminatory treatment at work Harassment Pregnancy protection Concluding remarks 10110. SANCTIONS AND REMEDIES Sanctions and remedies: an absence of national case law Sanctions and remedies: domestic case law penalising transphobic discrimination Sanctions and remedies: policy change Concluding remarks 10611. CONCLUSION 108 BIBLIOGRAPHY 1115 Members of the European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discriminationManagement teamGeneral coordinatorMarcel ZwambornHuman European ConsultancySpecialist coordinator gender equality lawSusanne BurriUtrecht UniversityActing specialist coordinator gender equality lawAlexandra TimmerUtrecht UniversitySpecialist coordinator non-discrimination lawIsabelle ChopinMigration Policy GroupProject management assistantsIvette GroenendijkYvonne van Leeuwen-LohdeHuman European ConsultancyHuman European ConsultancyGender equality assistant and research editorsFranka van HoofRapha le XenidisUtrecht UniversityNon-discrimination assistant and research editorCatharina Germaine1 Migration Policy GroupSenior expertsSenior expert on racial or ethnic originLilla FarkasSenior expert on ageMark FreedlandSenior expert on EU and human rights lawChristopher McCruddenSenior expert on social securityFrans

6 PenningsSenior expert on religion or beliefIsabelle RoriveSenior expert on gender equality lawLinda SendenSenior expert on sexual orientationKrzysztof SmiszekSenior expert on EU law, sex, gender identity and gender expression in relation to Trans and intersex peopleChrista ToblerSenior expert on disabilityLisa Waddington1 While on maternity leave, Catharina Germaine was replaced by Carmine Conte assisted by Edith and intersex equality rights in Europe a comparative analysisNational expertsNon-discriminationGenderAustriaDi eter SchindlauerMartina ThomasbergerBelgiumEmmanuelle BribosiaJean JacqmainBulgariaMargarita IlievaGenoveva TishevaCroatiaInes Boji Nada Bodiroga-VukobratCyprusCorina DemetriouEvangelia Lia Efstratiou-GeorgiadesCzech RepublicJakub Tom ej Kristina Koldinsk DenmarkPia JustesenStine J rgensenEstoniaVadim PoleshchukAnu LaasFinlandRainer HiltunenKev t NousiainenFYR of MacedoniaBiljana KotevskaMirjana NajchevskaFranceSophie LatraverseH l ne Masse-DessenGermanyMatthias MahlmannUlrike LembkeGreeceAthanasios TheodoridisPanagiota PetroglouHungaryAndr s K d rBe ta NacsaIcelandGudrun D.

7 GudmundsdottirHerd s Thorgeirsd ttirIrelandJudy WalshFrances MeenanItalyChiara FavilliSimonetta RengaLatviaAnhelita KamenskaKrist ne DupateLiechtensteinWilfried MarxerNicole Math LithuaniaGediminas AndriukaitisTomas DavulisLuxembourgTania HoffmannNicole KerschenMaltaTonio EllulRomina BartoloMontenegroNenad KoprivicaIvana Jeli NetherlandsTitia LoenenMarlies VegterNorwayElse Leona McClimansHelga AunePoland ukasz BojarskiEleonora ZielinskaPortugalAna Maria Guerra MartinsMaria do Ros rio Palma RamalhoRomaniaRomani a Iordachelustina IonescuSerbiaIvana Krsti DavinicIvana Krsti DavinicSlovakiaVanda Durb kov Zuzana Magurov SloveniaNe a Kogov ek alamonTanja Koderman SeverSpainLorenzo Cach nMar a-Amparo Ballester-PastorSwedenPer NorbergPaul LappalainenJenny Julen VotiniusTurkeyDilek KurbanNurhan S ralUnited KingdomLucy VickersGrace James7 AbbreviationsAPA American Psychiatric AssociationCEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against WomenCJEU Court of Justice of the European UnionCoE Council of EuropeCoM Committee of Ministers of the Council of EuropeECHR European Convention on Human RightsECJ European Court of JusticeECtHR European Court of Human RightsEFTA European Free Trade AssociationEHRR European Human rights ReportEU European UnionFRA European Union Agency for Fundamental rights GCT Gender confirmation treatmentGE Gender expressionGI Gender identityICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political RightsICD International Classification of DiseasesLGBTI Lesbian, gay, bisexual.

8 Trans and intersexm/f Male/femaleMtF Male-to-femaleNB Non-binaryNEB National equality bodyPACE Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of EuropeRLE Real life experienceSC Sex characteristicsSOGI Sexual orientation and gender identityTEU Treaty on European UnionTFEU Treaty on the Functioning of the European UnionUDHR Universal Declaration of Human RightsUN United NationsWHO World Health Organization8 Executive summaryIntroduction In 2012, the European Commission s Network of Legal Experts in the Non-discrimination Field authored a landmark report on discrimination motivated by sex, gender identity and gender expression. The report drawing upon expert knowledge in 30 European jurisdictions highlighted the significant levels of inequality which, despite promising developments in individual countries, Trans and intersex people confronted across the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

9 In the years since 2012, the attention paid to the human rights of Trans and intersex people and to discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and sex characteristics has increased significantly. Across the various Member States, and at the regional, especially the European and inter-American, level, there is growing awareness of the lived experience of Trans and intersex individuals and greater understanding of the social, legal and economic challenges that they face. Yet despite this welcome increase in public knowledge and appreciation of Trans and intersex lives, discrimination based on gender identity and sex characteristics remains a disproportionate reality across the EU and EFTA. In its 2014 report, Being Trans in the EU , which explores the Trans -focused data obtained during an EU-wide survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual and Trans communities, the European Union Agency for Fundamental rights (FRA) observed serious and repetitive victimisation [throughout] the EU.

10 Discrimination and violence are also disproportionately experienced by intersex people in Europe who, as observed recently by the Commissioner for Human rights of the Council of Europe , have historically been coerced through cultures of shame and secrecy into positions of marginalisation and invisibility. In 2015, the European Commission published the List of actions to advance LGBTI equality . Two of the Commission s priorities, as set out in its List of actions are: (a) improving rights and ensuring legal protection; and (b) monitoring and enforcement of the existing rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, Trans and intersex (LGBTI) people and their families. In 2016, the Council of Ministers asked the European Commission to report annually on the implementation of the list of actions. Against this background, the European Commission requested the European equality Law Network to carry out an overview of Trans and intersex equality frameworks across the 28 EU Member States and three additional EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).