ADVOCATING ON GENDER IDENTITY AND GENDER EXPRESSION – THE COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS (2020)
The update to ILGA World’s practical guide for human rights defenders advocating for gender identity and gender expression issues at the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) was released in October 2020.
First published by ILGA World in 2016, this update to the Advocating on Gender Identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth. More and Gender Expressionrefers to how a person presents their gender through physical appearance – including dress, hairstyles, accessories, cosmetics – and mannerisms, speech, behavioural patterns, names and personal references. More – The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights guide contains a wealth of information on how to effectively advocate before the Committee: it highlights challenges while offering tips to overcome them, provides links to additional resources, and reflects on the recommendations and topics addressed by CESCR over the past five years.
Download the Advocating on Genderrefers to a social construct which places cultural and social expectations on individuals based on their assigned sex. More Identity and Gender Expression – The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights practical guide
in English – in Spanish
Read a press release about the publication here
During the last few years, the Committee has been paying more and more attention to problems faced by transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. More people in different parts of the globe. Moreover, its recommendations have the potential to foster change on the ground – especially on the right to health, education, employment, housing, sanitation, family, cultural life and scientific progress. By engaging with CESCR, defenders can obtain recommendations on these issues to help shape laws and policies in their own country, bring individual cases that will create jurisprudence to help trans persons globally, or even contribute to shaping the Committee’s own interpretation of the rights within the Covenant.
