Christine Burns MBE (born February 1954)[1] is a British political activist best known for her work with Press for Change[2] and, more recently, as an internationally recognised health adviser.

[5] Burns was born in the London Borough of Redbridge and attended the University of Manchester, earning first-class honors in computer science in 1975 and a master's degree in 1977.

[17] In 1996, PFC's legal work, led by Stephen Whittle, secured victory for the P vs S and Cornwall County Council case in the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

The ECJ judgment was in April 1996, but it wasn't until early 1998 (following the change of government) that the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) decided to respond.

[24] To ensure that PFC campaigns remained focused and accountable, Burns wrote "Five Principles" for testing governmental action in May 1997 (right after the Labour Government came to power).

She asserts that some psychiatrists refer for surgery only those patients whom they consider attractive,[26] and she was an early critic of the controversial 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen by J. Michael Bailey.

Then, in a judgment delivered at Strasbourg on 11 July 2002 in the case of Christine Goodwin v. the United Kingdom, the European Court of Human Rights held unanimously that: Following the ruling, the Home Office worked with PFC to develop the principles which would come to underpin the Gender Recognition Bill.

According to the Telegraph, ministers privately feared that the legal reforms would create a public outcry "similar to that caused by the repeal of Section 28".

[41] As chair, she saw the need for research and official literature supportive of treatment and setting standards so, in 2006, she commissioned nine publications – ranging from guidance for GPs to advice for young people.

[43] During her time as Chair (July 2006 – May 2010) Burns invited Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic into discussions at SOGIAG and at the Parliamentary Forum on Transsexualism.

[51] She was invited to consult on a number of projects for NHS Northwest, including research and analysis leading to the publication of "A Landscape of the Region", (which she wrote for the SHA).

[53] She has worked on a series of resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people including an LGBT history timeline,[11] monitoring guidelines[54] and a GP benchmarking tool, Pride in Practice.

[55] On the importance of the LGBT timeline, Christine said: "Knowing our histories might just make life a bit easier for our communities to have role models and assure our place in organisations like the NHS.

Burns has advocated for better media depiction of trans people, including Hayley Cropper on Coronation Street[4] and Nadia Almada on Big Brother.

[61] Under Burns's leadership, PFC developed professional relationships with journalists, filmmakers, and regulatory bodies and responded to offensive news items "responsibly and constructively".

Writing on the PFC website, Burns claimed that an angry Labour Councillor threatened a BBC Politics correspondent with physical violence during production.

[65] In 1999, Sergeant Major Joanne Rushton revealed her intention to transition from male to female – prompting Britain's Ministry of Defence to announce that transgender people would be allowed to serve in the Armed Forces.

Burns welcomed the news, but expressed concern about the Army's possible reaction to Sergeant Major Rushton entering into a relationship: "Joanne will physically be a woman but legally be a man ...

"[66] In 2004, she responded to the BBC's coverage of murdered trans man Brandon Teena with a campaign to change editorial guidelines around gendered pronouns.

[69][70] Following the media frenzy around Thomas Beatie's pregnancy in 2008, Burns defended the right of trans men to bear children: "That's like saying you can't be a woman and have a career ...

"[71] In 2005, Burns became involved in supporting LGBT History Month and contributed profiles on Mark Rees and Stephen Whittle to the charity's website.

She has recounted key moments in her work as a trans activist on the site, including PFC's trip to Downing Street and Alex Carlile's private member's bill proposing means to correct transgender people's birth certificates and status in the mid-1990s.

[81] Burns appeared at 96 on Time Out magazine's Pride Power List 2011 – a compilation of influential lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.