Understanding Gender Variance

Helen Dale has been involved in the trans community for more than twenty years; initially providing support on the internet then training as a counsellor and counselling supervisor; chairing trans and LGB&T support groups and providing workshops on trans issues to a range of audiences — and has won several awards for this work.

This guide has been developed from those workshops and her personal experiences supporting other trans individuals. It is intended to be easy to read keeping jargon to a minimum and explaining terms in simple language. The information is laid out in logical sections — with a comprehensive contents section to find relevant details easily. It is focused on the UK but much of the information is relevant to other countries.

With the number of individuals identifying as trans, intersex, non-binary or gender fluid doubling about every five years, if you haven’t previously met or had dealings with a trans individual, you may well do before long whether as a manager or support worker friend or family. It will help you to identify the questions that you need to ask and how to avoid common mistakes.It will also be a valuable resource for anyone who identifies as transgender, intersex, non-binary or gender fluid.

The book is aimed at anyone dealing with trans people

• Counsellors / Help-line Operators/ Befrienders
• Support/ Social Workers
• Union Staff
• Teachers and Lecturers
• Citizens Advice Bureaux
• Samaritans
• Equality and Diversity Practitioners
• HR staff
• Other Managers
• LGBT+ organisations
• Family & Friends
• And Trans Individuals themselves

Contents include:

• Definitions
• Causality
• Social Transition
• Myth Busting
• Transsexual Journey to Surgery
• Travelling on: Post Transition / Surgery
• Trans Issues in Counselling
• Partners and Families
• Case Studies
• Legal History
• Discrimination & Hate Crime/ Incidents
• Employment
• Bibliography
• Appendices - including Transition Check List
• Other books by Helen

Helen grew up as a RAF Brat and dreamed of being a pilot herself but failed the medical due to having had hay fever (the RAF considered it risky trying to land an aircraft and sneezing at the wrong moment).Throughout her childhood and early career in pr, advertising and marketing and getting married and having a family, she concealed the secret that she was transgendered. In 1998, she accepted that she needed to transition. Losing one job as a consequence, she joined Greater Manchester Probation as IT help desk manager. As the first openly trans employee nationally she provided awareness training for probation and prison staff (and others) and became the de facto lead on trans issues.She persuaded the then Lesbian and Gay staff association (LAGIP) to extend its membership criteria to include trans and bisexual members and spent several years as chair. She also helped to found a: gender - the UK pan-Civil Service trans support network and was made an honorary life member when she retired in 2015. She served on local and national diversity boards and chaired a trans charity in Manchester as well as training as a counsellor. Her work was recognised with several awards including a Butler Trust Award presented by HRH Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace.Since retiring, she has continued to present workshops on trans issues and provide counselling for trans individuals. She has also become a volunteer with Diversity Role Models - going into schools and talking to students about homophobic, transphobic and biphobic bullying.She has a website for her writing at www.helendaleuthor.info