Beth Cairns

Working Title of PhD: How can the experiences of transgender witnesses and victims of crime be improved?

Year commenced PhD study: Summer 2017
Institution/Organisation: University of Stirling
Funding Source (if any): ESRC
Full or part-time: Full-time
PhD Supervisors: Dr. Margaret Malloch and Dr. Peter Matthews.

Synopsis:

Beth’s research explores the relationship that transgender and gender diverse people have with the legal system in Scotland. Gender diverse populations in the UK have a history of complex legal needs and difficult relationships with the Law. In the changing climate around gender the challenges raised by gender diverse people are beginning to bring us to question the relationship that the Law has with minority populations. This research questions the role of the Law and of rights discourse in understanding how we each claim access to and form relationships with elements of the legal system. This research seeks to understand how transgender people experience their encounters with the legal system and how they negotiate legal institutions.

Last year Beth returned from Lingnan University in Hong Kong where she conducted a research project on Hong Kong’s transgender population and their experiences of the ID card system and other bureaucratic gender controls in Hong Kong.