Hong Kong Court Denies Male Status to 3 Transgender Men

Hong Kong’s High Court denied male status to three transgender men on Friday due to them not having undergone full sex-change operations.

A judge ruled that the three transgender men will not be recognized as males on their official identity cards due to them not having full sex-change operations. Henry Tse, Q and R, are shown on their ID cards as having been born female but are in the process of undergoing hormone therapy. Undergoing a full sex-change operation would make them sterile. While appearing in court, Tse rolled out a banner that read,

“Forced Sterilization is cruel and inhumane. Recognize our Rights NOW!”

Judge Thomas Au ruled that,

“the change of gender entry stated in the ID card does not only concern the private right of the transgender person but also the wider public interest”.

Hong Kong has become more open about gender issues in recent years and is expected to hold their first Gay Games in 2022. However, the recent ruling is being seen as a setback for the LGBT community. Amnesty International called the judgment “a missed opportunity to address the discrimination transgender people in Hong Kong face”.

“No one should be forced to undergo gender affirming surgery in order to have their gender legally recognised,” Man-kei Tam, director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, said in a statement.

Friday’s decision in Hong Kong follows a ruling last week by Japan’s Supreme Court where they upheld a law that requires transgender people to be sterilised before they can have their gender changed on official documents. The ruling has since been widely denounced by human rights and LGBT activists and may spark further legal action in the near future.

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