10 August 2010 Last updated at 12:11 ET
Transsexual people comment on their experiences
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10927421 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10927421)
A man has been convicted of murdering a transsexual prostitute in north London. Destiny Lauren was one of a number of transgender people to suffer violence, and there are concerns such attacks are on the increase.
Murders are obviously at the extreme end of the spectrum and remain very rare. But BBC News website readers Sarah Brown and Zoe O'Connell told us about the verbal abuse and discrimination they received after transitioning.
Sarah Brown from Cambridge is often asked inappropriate questions
I am a transsexual woman, and the one thing that strikes me over and over is the extent to which our lives and medical history seem to be considered public property by all and sundry.