You'll have noticed by now that I'm pretty sure the purpose of the ID Card system and the national identity database/s is to screw us all nice and hard without even buying us dinner first. As is about par for the course though, some people are getting it that bit harder than others.

Any Trans person who has not been through the rigmarole required to recieve a government Gender Recognition Certificate (through choice, through worries about the central list of trans people they will then be placed on, for financial reasons or because they don't want to divorce a previous partner (a requirement for issuing a GRC) or because they haven't been transitioned for long enough yet) will need to hold two cards, one in each gender. One will be in the details of their birth gender and be used for travel in Europe, the other will be in their actual gender and be used for everything within the UK.

Given that it is currently simplicity itself to recieve correctly named and gendered passport and drivers licence documents without having to obtain a GRC this is a backwards step. One which opens people to harrasment at border checkpoints, suspicion from foreign security services for carrying two sets of ID and, to add insult to injury, will require them to pay two sets of fees as well (yes, the UK government are going to charge all of us to carry these things, doesn't that just add insult to injury?).

I picked up on this one via Helen at Bird of Paradox, who has some very sensible things to say about the whole thing here. She also links to an online petition which, insamuch as these things are of dubious usefulness takes all of thirty seconds to complete and can be found here. The group Gender spectrum UK seem pretty switched on and have issued a press release here, and a suggested template/source of ideas for letters to the home office as well.

Aint you glad we have a government that does all these ... exceptional ... things for us for our own good?