CEDH · PRESS;GENERAL;ENG — 20 mars 2002

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .s5FFF0A77 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:1pt } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .sFE10DC93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .sA1D3DA2E { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s94935B0F { width:389.85pt; display:inline-block } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s76CF415B { page-break-before:always; clear:both } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s33165EBA { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .s903B0117 { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:70.9pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-70.9pt; text-align:justify } .sB54F21D0 { width:1.54pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s64582795 { width:70.9pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .sCFE25540 { width:12.2pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .sCB27B9E { width:16.66pt; display:inline-block } .sC5412BEF { width:51.05pt; display:inline-block } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } .s2EB42ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt } .s3133A7C8 { font-family:Arial; color:#0069d6 }   EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS     154   20.3.2002   Press release issued by the Registrar   HEARING ON THE MERITS IN THE CASE OF GOODWIN & I. v. THE UNITED KINGDOM   Wednesday 20 March 2002 at 9.00 a.m.   The applicants   The applicants, both United Kingdom nationals, are post-operative male to female transsexuals.   Summary of the facts   Goodwin - Christine Goodwin, born in 1937, claims that she had problems and faced sexual harassment at work during and following her gender re-assignment. Most recently, she   experienced difficulties concerning her national insurance (NI) contributions. As legally she is still a man, she has to continue to pay NI contributions until the age of 65. If she had been recognised as a woman, she would have ceased to be liable at the age of 60 in April 1997. She has had to enter into a special arrangement to continue paying her NI contributions directly herself to avoid questions being raised by her employers about the anomaly. She also alleges that the fact that she keeps the same NI number has meant that her employer has been able to discover that she previously worked for them under another name and gender, with resulting embarrassment and humiliation.   I. - I., who used to work as a dental nurse, claims that she was unable to obtain admittance to a nursing course, as she refused to present her birth certificate. Since 1988 it appears that she has not worked and that she is living on a disability pension due to ill-health.   Complaints   The applicants both complain about the lack of legal recognition of their post-operative sex and about the legal status of transsexuals in the United Kingdom. They complain, in particular, about their treatment in relation to employment, social security and pensions and their inability to marry either as a man or a woman. Both rely on Articles 8 (right to respect for private and family life), 12 (right to marry and to found a family) and 14 (prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights. Ms Goodwin also relies on Article 13 (right to an effective remedy).   Procedure   The application in Goodwin v. the United Kingdom (application no. 28957/95) was lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights on 5 June 1995 and declared admissible on 1 December 1997. The application in I. v. the United Kingdom (no. 25680/94) was lodged with the Commission on 6 April 1994 and declared admissible on 27 May 1997. The cases were transmitted to the European Court of Human Rights on 1 November 1998. On 11 September 2001 a Chamber of the Court (Third Section) relinquished both cases to the Grand Chamber.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by the Grand Chamber composed as follows:   Luzius Wildhaber (Swiss), President , Jean-Paul Costa (French), Nicolas Bratza (British), Elisabeth Palm (Swedish), Riza Türmen (Turkish), Françoise Tulkens (Belgian), Karel Jungwiert (Czech), Marc Fischbach (Luxemburger), Volodymyr Butkevych (Ukrainian), Nina Vajić (Croatian), John Hedigan (Irish), Margarita Tsatsa-Nikolovska (FYROMacedonia), Hanne Sophie Greve (Norwegian), András Baka (Hungarian), Kristaq Traja (Albanian), Mindia Ugrekhelidze (Georgian), Vladimiro Zagrebelsky (Italian), judges , Antonella Mularoni (San Marinese), Lucius Caflisch [1] (Swiss), substitute judges , and also Paul Mahoney , Registrar .   Representatives of the parties   Government:   Derek Walton , Agent , Rabinder Singh and James Strachen , Counsel ,   Ceinwen Lloyd , Anna Powick and Shiela Eisa , Advisers ;   Applicants:   Goodwin - Laura Cox , QC, and Tim Eicke , Counsel, Julia Sohrab , Solicitor .     I. - Michael Sternberg , assisted by David Williams , Counsel , and Helen Derry , Solicitor.   Christine Goodwin will also attend the hearing.   ***   After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. Judgment will be delivered at a later date.   Registry of the European Court of Human Rights F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex Contacts:   Roderick Liddell (telephone: (0)3 88 41 24 92)   Emma Hellyer (telephone: (0)3 90 21 42 15) Fax: (0)3 88 41 27 91   The European Court of Human Rights was set up in Strasbourg in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. On 1 November 1998 a full-time Court was established, replacing the original two-tier system of a part-time Commission and Court. [1] .     Judge elected in respect of Liechtenstein.