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Abstract
In this paper we examine the social and legal conditions in which many transgender
people (often called trans people) live, and the medical perspectives that frame the
provision of health care for transgender people across much of the world. Modern research
shows much higher numbers of transgender people than were apparent in earlier clinic-based
studies, as well as biological factors associated with gender incongruence. We examine
research showing that many transgender people live on the margins of society, facing
stigma, discrimination, exclusion, violence, and poor health. They often experience
difficulties accessing appropriate health care, whether specific to their gender needs
or more general in nature. Some governments are taking steps to address human rights
issues and provide better legal protection for transgender people, but this action
is by no means universal. The mental illness perspective that currently frames health-care
provision for transgender people across much of the world is under scrutiny. The WHO
diagnostic manual may soon abandon its current classification of transgender people
as mentally disordered. Debate exists as to whether there should be a diagnosis of
any sort for transgender children below the age of puberty.