Research on the experiences of trans and non-binary people with family law

Researchers from the University of Bristol and the University of Lincoln are trying to help us better understand the experiences of trans and non-binary people, and their families, with the law in England and Wales. This explicitly includes the experiences of parents building families through surrogacy, donation and fertility treatment and the legal processes they have to follow to give their families legal security.

 Dr Peter Dunne and Dr Michael Toze have developed a survey asking people about how they navigate issues of family and the law – especially where considerations of gender identity and gender expression are relevant to the matter.

In recent years, there have been an increasing number of court cases in this country where judges have been asked to consider questions about law, family and gender identity. Yet, despite this uptick in litigation, we still know comparatively little about the lived experience of trans and non-binary people who are navigating (or who have navigated) family matters and the law (e.g. starting families, making decisions about children). Peter and Michael want to begin to fill that gap in the hope that, when we talk about trans and non-binary people, their families and the law, we can do so from a place of information and knowledge, rather than supposition and assumption.

In order to do this work, Peter and Michael have developed a survey – asking people about different family related matters, and the extent to which gender identity or gender expression may have impacted their experiences. They ask about, among other themes, marriage, divorce, having children and child arrangements. Peter and Michael are interested in hearing from people who have navigated these issues both within and outside of the formal legal system. The survey was developed with the generous input from a number of community readers.

The survey can be found here or scan the QR code below, and there is an extensive information for participants sheet (here). The researchers have a project website, and both Michael and Peter have recorded a video – explaining why they are undertaking the project and what it will involve. A QR code for the survey can also be found at the bottom of this post. If you want further details about the project, you can contact Peter and Michael at pd17563@bristol.ac.uk (Peter’s email address). Please feel free to share the survey with friends, colleagues or your network!