On 8th April 2010 the Equality Bill passed its final vote in Parliament, becoming the Equality Act 2010. The EA2010 aims to consolidate the previous raft of equality legislation and to “update, simplify and strengthen” the previous legislation. Most of the Act, about 90%, is already in force since 1st October 2010.

Recent legislation such as the Equality Act of 2010 and the Civil Partnership Act of 2004 are working to achieve social equality through law . But are these token efforts from a world that at heart doesn’t want to change – and do any of them go far enough?  In particular, legislation which offers transgendered people full legal equality remains an aim rather than a reality, and in terms of legislation that has already been passed, there is the on-going question of its effects being put into place in public life.