Carolynn Gray

My research critically explores the intersection of law, gender identity, and bodily autonomy. I specialise in the legal recognition of transgender and non-binary individuals, analysing how law constructs, regulates, and at times, constrains diverse forms of identity. My wider research interests encompass medical law (particularly age of consent, capacity, and consent to treatment), child protection law, and the broader intersections of law with the body, sexuality, race, and class. Drawing on queer theory, critical race theory, and socio-legal analysis, I investigate how legal frameworks reinforce or challenge systemic inequalities. I have a particular interest in how concepts of normality and legitimacy are produced within law and policy, and how marginalised identities resist these constructions. My work aims to contribute both to scholarly understanding and to practical legal and policy reform advancing equality, diversity, and human rights.

My current research activities focus primarily on LGBT+ rights, with a particular emphasis on transgender legal recognition and healthcare access. I am developing a monograph based on my doctoral research, which critically examines the role of human rights law in the construction and regulation of queer and transgender lives in the UK. Additionally, I am leading a systematic review of the aetiology of Gender Identity Disorder from the 1920s to the present, with a view to analysing how historical medical narratives continue to shape contemporary legal and healthcare practices affecting trans and non-binary individuals. My research increasingly engages with the challenges posed by the gender critical movement to trans rights, and examines legal strategies for defending and expanding recognition of diverse gender identities. I am also building new work around consent to medical treatment, bodily autonomy, and the rights of children and young people in healthcare and child protection contexts.

Over the next five years, I plan to develop an internationally recognised research portfolio focused on the legal regulation of gender identity, bodily autonomy, and healthcare access. I aim to expand my work into comparative and international perspectives on gender recognition law, while continuing to critically engage with domestic developments in the UK and Scotland. Future projects will address how law responds to emerging forms of gender diversity, the medicalisation of trans identities, and the intersection of legal recognition with racial, class, and disability justice. I also intend to collaborate across disciplines — particularly with scholars in healthcare, education, and social policy — to generate interdisciplinary insights and inform practical reforms promoting trans inclusion, equality, and human rights. My long-term goal is to contribute meaningfully to national and international policy development and to influence public debates on LGBT+ rights through evidence-based, critical research.

Over the next five years, I plan to develop an internationally recognised research portfolio focused on the legal regulation of gender identity, bodily autonomy, and healthcare access. I aim to expand my work into comparative and international perspectives on gender recognition law, while continuing to critically engage with domestic developments in the UK and Scotland. Future projects will address how law responds to emerging forms of gender diversity, the medicalisation of trans identities, and the intersection of legal recognition with racial, class, and disability justice. I also intend to collaborate across disciplines — particularly with scholars in healthcare, education, and social policy — to generate interdisciplinary insights and inform practical reforms promoting trans inclusion, equality, and human rights. My long-term goal is to contribute meaningfully to national and international policy development and to influence public debates on LGBT+ rights through evidence-based, critical research.

I am keen to collaborate with national and international organisations working in the fields of human rights, health, education, and social justice. In particular, I would welcome partnerships with organisations such as the NHS, Stonewall, Mermaids, Scottish Trans, and Amnesty International, as well as legal reform bodies such as the Scottish Human Rights Commission and the Equality and Human Rights Commission. I am interested in contributing to projects focused on LGBT+ health inequalities, access to legal recognition, anti-discrimination initiatives, and capacity-building for trans-inclusive services. I am also open to working with UN-affiliated organisations and international NGOs to support global efforts to advance LGBT+ rights and reduce inequalities.

In addition to my core expertise on the legal rights of transgender and non-binary individuals, I have significant experience in child protection law, medical law, and education law. I have particular expertise in areas including consent to medical treatment, safeguarding of vulnerable individuals, and the legal regulation of young people's autonomy in health and educational contexts. I have also led significant academic programme development work, including the design and accreditation of law programmes aligned with professional body requirements. This experience equips me to offer consultancy and knowledge exchange around professional education, curriculum development, and regulatory compliance in higher education, particularly in relation to law, social work, and healthcare programmes.