Trans Legal Mapping Report 2016: Recognition before the Law (1st Edition)

This first edition is a compilation of laws, administrative procedures and processes setting out the ability and limits of trans and gender-diverse people around the world to change their sex/gender markers and names on official identity documents. It focuses on these two aspects because they are often what trans and gender-diverse people first seek to change in order to access other rights and services in their everyday lives. They are also critical when crossing borders and establishing one’s identity in a new country or city—a scenario which is perhaps more common for trans people than the general population. 

This report sets out whether a process is established in primary legislation, through a court application, in an administrative rule, in policy, or simply not defined. The distinction between these will be of use to advocates who seek to undertake either legal reform or policy change in these countries.