Christine Burns
Christine Burns MBE (born 1954) is a British political activist best known for her work with Press for Change.[1] Burns was awarded an MBE in 2005 in recognition of her work representing transgender people.[2]
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[edit] Career
Burns was born in the London Borough of Redbridge and attended University of Manchester, earning an undergraduate degree in computer science in 1975 and a master’s degree in 1977. She worked as a city IT consultant and a Tory activist before coming out about her trans history.[3] When Burns came out to local Tory leaderhip in 1995,[4] the tabloids decided not to run the story because she was "too ordinary".[5] She jokes about how she became involved in trans activism: "I realised something had changed in 1997, when I realised it was more embarrassing to admit to being a conservative than to being a trans woman."[6]
[edit] Press for Change
In 1992, Press for Change (PFC) was formed, and went on to become a key lobbying and legal support organisation for trans people in the UK.[7] Burns joined Press for Change (PFC) before coming out and was a leading figure in getting legal recognition for trans people.[8] Burns has criticized mental health practitioners for bias against trans people. She has asserted that some psychiatrists refer for surgery only those patients whom they consider attractive,[9] and was an early critic of the controversial 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen by J. Michael Bailey,[10] She has also criticized research claiming that trans people are less happy after transition.[11] Burns has advocated for better media depiction of trans people, including Hayley Cropper on Coronation Street[2] and Nadia Almada on Big Brother.[12][13] She has also advocated on behalf of trans youth and their families seeking medical intervention as minors.[14]
She was among the first to gain a certificate recognizing her gender under the Gender Recognition Act 2004, which she had pushed for passage.[15] Burns said, "For most it's been a profoundly personal thing - not something to shout about, but a piece of paper to hold, to have a little cry, and feel closure at last." [16] Burns was honored with an MBE the same year as Stephen Whittle for their efforts on behalf of trans people.[17] Her efforts were also lauded by MP Gerald Kaufman.[18]
[edit] Political Work and post-PFC
Representing PFC, Burns joined the Parliamentary Forum on Transsexualism shortly after it was set up in early 1995. She interviewed the original chair, Lynne Jones MP, in 2008.[19]
The Dept Health set up a Sexual Orientation Advisory Group (SOAG) in 2004. After lobbying from Press for Change, the Department of Health changed the name to the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Advisory Group (SOGIAG). Burns was invited to chair the transgender workstream of SOGIAG in 2005.[20] As chair, Burns saw the need for official literature supportive of treatment and setting standards. In 2007, the Department of Health commissioned her to write a resource for NHS workers and patients called "Trans: A Practical Guide for the NHS".[21]
Burns left Press for Change in November 2007 to focus on strategic issues with public officials.
In 2005 Burns became involved in supporting LGBT History Month, and contributed profiles on Mark Rees and Stephen Whittle for the charity’s website.[22] She also produced a lesson plan on gender variance. Burns was invited to become a Patron of LGBT History Month in 2010, making her the charity’s first trans patron.[23]
[edit] Selected publications
- Burns, Christine (1999). If That's Your Idea of Non-Discrimination. In Tracie O' Keefe (ed.) Sex, Gender and Sexuality: 21st Century Transformations. Extraodinary People Press, ISBN 0952948222
- Burns, Christine (2003). The Second Transition. In Tracie O' Keefe and Katrina Fox (eds.) Finding the Real Me: True Tales of Sex and Gender Diversity. Wiley, ISBN 0787965472
- Burns, Christine (2004). Transsexual People and the Press: Collected Opinions from Transsexual People Themselves. Press for Change, November 2004
- Burns, C., (1994), What do transsexuals have for breakfast? GENDYS '94, The Third International Gender Dysphoria Conference, Manchester, England.
[edit] References
- ^ Batty, David (July 31, 2004). Mistaken identity. The Guardian
- ^ a b Ottewell, David (December 31, 2004). Sykes and Waterman celebrate awards Manchester Evening News
- ^ Staff report (November 8, 1998). Sex-change sergeant-major who is facing expulsion from army. Sunday Mercury
- ^ LGBT History Month (October, 2005) http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/history/christineburns.htm
- ^ Woolf, Marie (November 26, 2003). He ain't heavy, he's my sister. The Independent, archive
- ^ Burns, Christine (July 10, 2008). A Life in a Day Part Three: And then we had ‘T’. Just Plain Sense
- ^ NHS Northwest (2011) http://help.northwest.nhs.uk/lgbt_timeline/timeline.html
- ^ Dyer, Clare (December 10, 2002). Sex change victory after 30 years. The Guardian
- ^ Hari, Johann (September, 2004). Gender Studies. attitude
- ^ Staff report (June 25, 2003). Trans Group Attacks New Book on 'Queens.' Windy City Times
- ^ Burns, Christine (August 3, 2004). A change for the better. The Guardian
- ^ Hogan, Dek and Christine Burns (September 2006).Nadia's Conundrum. Digital Spy
- ^ Burns, Christine (August 9, 2004). Transforming attitudes. The Guardian
- ^ BBC (January 28, 2007). How young is too young for a 'sex change'?[dead link] BBC World Service
- ^ Woolf, Marie (November 24, 2003). Queen's Speech will give go-ahead to sex-change weddings and adoptions. The Independent
- ^ Marie Woolf (April 9, 2006). Transsexual UK The Independent
- ^ Staff report (December 31, 2004). Eric Sykes gets New Year's honour. BBC News
- ^ Kaufman, Gerald (March 5, 2005). It's a scandal ... The Guardian
- ^ Burns, Christine (July 27, 2008) http://podcast.plain-sense.co.uk/2008/07/27/half-an-hour-with-dr-lynne-jones-mp/
- ^ Department of Health (September 3, 2008)
- ^ Department of Health (November 3, 2008) http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_089941
- ^ LGBT History Month (March 14, 2011). http://lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/category/history/lgbt-people/inspirational-trans-people/
- ^ Pink News (October 19, 2010). http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/10/19/christine-burns-becomes-first-trans-patron-of-lgbt-history-month/
LGBT History Month (October, 2005) http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/history/christineburns.htm
