Doctors are telling trans women they have to wear lipstick and feminine clothing to receive medical care, UK lawmakers say

• Some doctors in the UK are telling transgender women to $4 and wear more "feminine" clothes, UK parliament heard.
• Trans women have been told they should look a certain way to prove their gender identity and access medical care.
• British Members of Parliament heard testimony on this issue as they discussed the Gender Recognition Act (GRA).

Some UK doctors are asking trans women to wear more lipstick and "feminine" clothing in order to prove their gender, $4.

British Members of Parliament heard testimony on the issue as an example of medical transphobia during a discussion on reforming the $4 on May 13. According to $4 the act currently requires a trans person to submit a detailed account of their gender dysphoria in order to access medical care.

Dr. Harriet Hutchinson, an organizer at Action for Trans Health Durham, told lawmakers at a virtual hearing that the definition of gender dysphoria laid out in the GRA is rigid and forces trans people to adhere to firm gender stereotypes around femininity and masculinity in order to attain necessary medical care.

Hutchinson told a parliamentary select committee cisgender doctors enforce these guidelines by interrogating trans women about their gender presentation, particularly scrutinizing the patients for not wearing makeup or dresses to medical appointments.

"So the idea of having to prove your gender is very reductive and forces trans people to conform to stereotypes in order to receive a diagnosis and then, of course, receive criticism for perpetuating gender stereotypes," Hutchinson said.

Activists and trans rights organizations are calling for the act to be reformed with more inclusive definitions around $4