New Books Network Chris Dietz, "Self-Declaration in the Legal Recognition of Gender" (Routledge, 2022)
Jan 6, 2026
In this discussion, Dr. Chris Dietz, a Lecturer at the University of Leeds, delves into his book on the complexities of legal gender recognition. He contrasts Denmark's self-declaration model with the UK's gender laws and critiques how legislation can both facilitate and restrict rights. Dietz explores the interplay between law and medicine, revealing how institutional power affects access to healthcare. He also highlights the importance of understanding vulnerabilities in these systems, urging a broader perspective on legal reforms beyond mere rights.
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How The Project Began
- Chris Dietz began researching legal gender after meeting trans students during an Erasmus year in Sweden and through early feminist activism.
- That experience led him to pursue a PhD and to study Denmark after its 2014 self-declaration reform.
Self-Declaration Is A Binary Bureaucratic Act
- 'Self-declaration' differs from 'self-identification' because Denmark limited legal change to a binary declaration (male or female) rather than broad personal identity claims.
- The legal declaration step forces engagement with the state and creates bureaucratic constraints despite removing medical gatekeepers.
Method: Grounding Law In Lived Experience
- Dietz used legal consciousness methodology to center trans people's lived experiences of reform rather than doctrinal analysis alone.
- His interviews revealed how reforms register on embodied, everyday interactions with law and medicine.
