Print

Mail

wiki links

Gender policy draws fire

Transgender rights activists protested against a Ministry of the Interior (MOI) policy that a change of gender on national ID cards for female-to-male (FTM) transsexuals may only be made after genital reconstruction is complete.

Before the MOI issued an executive order in October last year, it was sufficient for an FTM transsexual to apply for an official change of gender on a national ID card after completing two of three sex-change steps, “but now, one has to finish all three before the [card] change,” Wang Ping (王蘋), secretary-general of the Gender/Sexuality Rights Association in Taiwan (GSRAT), told the Taipei Times via telephone yesterday.

Wang explained that the first step is the removal of the inner reproductive organs, the second is to remove breasts and the third is the surgical construction of a penis.

However, the third step is the most difficult and expensive and the riskiest.

“A complete surgery could cost over NT$800,000 [US$25,026], while the penile construction alone can cost up to NT$400,000,” said Chiang Chia-wen (江嘉雯), an activist who has worked closely with transsexuals.

“It may take up to six months to recover, meaning that one may not work at all for six months,” Chiang said. “In addition, penile construction patients are exposed to great risk of tissue death or infection.”

As a lot of transsexuals are unable to complete all three steps, “it has a great impact on their lives, especially when they are looking for jobs,” Chiang said.

Activists filed complaints with the MOI in June, but did not receive any response until yesterday.

“After all, it’s not really important for someone who dresses and acts as a man to have a penis,” Wang said.

MOI household registration department official Lin Yu-hsi (林佑熹) conceded that there were defects in the policy and promised to make changes.

“The order actually was made in response to an inquiry from a local household registration office in Taitung County that we received in July last year on how one could qualify to make an official change of gender,” he said. “We consulted the Department of Health [DOH], and we replied [to the household registration office in Taitung] according to the DOH response.”

However, as the policy has sparked controversy and protests from transgender rights activists, “we will call a meeting with DOH officials and experts in the field to come up with a unified policy regarding the matter.”
This story has been viewed 1041 times.