Trans(Forming) Family Justice: Respecting Trans and Non-Binary Identities in the Family Law of England and Wales

近年来，在英格兰和威尔士的家庭法中，关于跨性别和非二元个体权利的辩论越来越多。一系列备受瞩目的法院判决以及拟议的立法改革，将注意力集中在家庭生活关键领域的跨性别和非二元经历上，包括亲子关系、婚姻状况和儿童福利。这些判决和政策讨论揭示了跨性别和非二元人群对法律未能承认他们的生活感到沮丧，法官和政策制定者对跨性别包容性改革的更广泛后果感到担忧，家庭司法系统无法适应性别多样性。随着跨性别和非二元社区的知名度的增长，如何在法律上尊重这些人群的问题变得更加紧迫。在英格兰和威尔士，关于跨性别和非二元家庭法权利的研究相对较少。虽然自1990年代中期以来，法律的学者一直在研究性别认同问题，但他们主要关注的是性别承认和性别对现代法律的持续相关性。在最近的两项判决中，高等法院指出，缺乏相关的医学法律研究来指导他们的决策过程。在法律之外--特别是在社会学、心理学和医学方面--有一个更成熟的学术体系。然而，虽然这些领域的研究增加了我们对跨性别和非二元家庭的了解，但很少将法律视为家庭生活中的关键变量。在这种社会政治背景下，我的未来领袖奖学金（FLF）将探讨跨性别和非二元人口在英格兰和威尔士的家庭法的权利。我将采取多方法办法，并与关键利益攸关方-包括社区成员、决策者、从业人员和学者-合作，确定可行的改革提案，承认需要在尊重性别多样性与家庭司法系统的其他（可能相互竞争的）政策目标之间取得平衡。通过跨学科和专业实践领域的一系列合作，我将产生广泛的产出-包括期刊文章，政策简报和讲习班-这将纳入观点，并为众多行为者的工作提供信息，包括政府官员，地方当局，NHS临床医生，民间社会团体和家庭法官。在第1-4年，我将把我的FLF研究分成五个相互关联的工作包。我设计了这些工作包，以解决家庭法中跨性别和非二元权利的五个最紧迫的法律的和政治问题：同意童年性别转变的能力（WP 1），地方当局对跨性别和非二元儿童照顾的政策（WP 2），跨性别和非二元青年的愿望和感受（WP 3），非二元性别承认（WP 4），以及跨性别和非二元成年人建立和维持法律认可的家庭的能力（WP 5）。虽然每个工作包都涉及一个单独的问题，但这五个方面共同创造了一个独特的平台，以调查跨性别和非二元个体在家庭司法系统中的更广泛权利。随后，在年5-7，我将建立在我的初步研究结果，创造创新的工具，在实践中应用我的研究结论，设计新的活动，以进一步探索工作包1-5参与者确定的优先事项，并从其他司法管辖区的反式和非二元家庭法改革项目中学习。在这个快速发展的法律的和社会辩论领域，我的FLF将大大提高决策者，临床医生，律师，民间社会团体和公众对跨性别和非二元家庭的理解。它还将加速我自己的专业发展，帮助我在FLF结束时成为公认的性别，性和法律方面的国家和国际领导人。

In recent years, there has been growing debate about the rights of trans and non-binary individuals in the family law of England and Wales. A series of high-profile court decisions, as well as proposed legislative reforms, have focused attention on trans and non-binary experiences in key areas of family life, including parentage, marital status and children's welfare. These judgments and policy discussions reveal trans and non-binary populations frustrated by law's failure to acknowledge their lives, judges and policy makers concerned about the wider consequences of trans-inclusive reforms and a family justice system ill-equipped to accommodate gender diversity. As the visibility of trans and non-binary communities grows, the question of how to legally respect these populations becomes ever more urgent.There is comparatively little research on trans and non-binary family law rights in England and Wales. Although, since the mid-1990s, legal academics have been investigating questions of gender identity, they have largely focused on gender recognition and the continuing relevance of gender for the modern law. In two recent judgments, the High Court noted the absence of relevant medico-legal research to guide their decision-making processes. Outside of law - particularly in sociology, psychology and medicine - there is a more established body of scholarship. Yet, while research in these fields increases our knowledge about trans and non-binary families more generally, it rarely considers law as a key variable in family life. Against that socio-political background, my Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) will explore the rights of trans and non-binary populations in the family law of England and Wales. Adopting a multi-methods approach, and working with key stakeholders - including community members, policy makers, practitioners and academics - I will identify workable proposals for reform, acknowledging the need to balance respect for gender diversity with other (potentially competing) policy objectives in the family justice system. Through a series of collaborations across disciplines and spheres of professional practice, I will produce a broad range of outputs - including journal articles, policy briefs and workshops - which will incorporate the perspectives and inform the work of numerous actors, including Government officials, local authorities, NHS clinicians, civil society groups and family judges. In Years 1-4, I will divide my FLF research into five, interconnected work packages. I have designed these work packages to address five of the most pressing legal and political questions for trans and non-binary rights in family law: capacity to consent to gender transition in childhood (WP 1), local authority policies for trans and non-binary looked after children (WP 2), the wishes and feelings of trans and non-binary youth (WP 3), non-binary gender recognition (WP 4), and the ability of trans and non-binary adults to create and maintain legally recognised families (WP 5). Although each work package engages with a separate question, taken together, these five strands create a unique platform to investigate the broader rights of trans and non-binary individuals in the family justice system. Subsequently, in Years 5-7, I will build upon my initial findings, creating innovative tools to apply my research conclusions in practice, designing new activities to further explore the priorities identified by participants in Work Packages 1-5 and learning from trans and non-binary family law reform projects in other jurisdictions. In this area of fast evolving legal and social debate, my FLF will significantly enhance understanding of trans and non-binary families among policy makers, clinicians, lawyers, civil society groups and the general public. It will also accelerate my own professional development, helping me to become an acknowledged national and international leader on gender, sexuality and law by the end of the FLF.