Activists in Taiwan Grow Impatient With Progress on Transgender Rights

TaiwanPlus News

Rights activists in Taiwan are calling on the government to respect court decisions saying a rule that transgender people must have surgery to change their gender markers is unconstitutional.

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00:00A new tactic from transgender rights activists in Taiwan, calling for the National Ombudsman

00:05to find out why the government here refuses to budge on what they say is an unconstitutional

00:10law.

00:11The requirement for transgender people who want to change their gender marker on official

00:16documents to undergo surgery.

00:31For activists, removing this rule is key to trans equality.

00:42In Taiwan, a country known for its strong democracy and commitment to human rights,

00:47transgender rights are the next big challenge.

00:50Activists here say that when it comes to LGBTQ plus issues, the transgender community is

00:55being left behind.

00:57Taiwan was the first country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage in 2019.

01:02And despite some promising signs, key transgender issues, like the requirement to have surgery

01:08to change gender markers on documents, have made little progress.

01:13Transgender Taiwanese have been taking the surgery issue to court.

01:16And together with LGBTQ plus rights activists, they've won six cases.

01:21But the government has not moved.

01:28In a statement this week, Taiwan's Interior Ministry said it was still holding consultations

01:47on what it says is an issue that affects all of society.

01:51But transgender people here and their supporters are tired of bureaucracy.

01:56They say the current rules breach their fundamental human rights and must change.

02:01Andy Xue and Rick Laut in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.

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