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.

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
Mythbusting
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

Understanding Gender Variance - pokkari, Englanti, 2021