India’s third-gender ruling has few benefits, say trans activists

There are still many gaps in services for trans people, says Amitava Sarkar,

Kaitlin Bardswich | Dailyextra | November 5, 2015

On April 15, 2014, the Indian Supreme Court officially created a third gender status for the trans community, making it the seventh country in the world to do so.

Transgender people in India no longer have to identify as female or male, but can choose a third or “T” option, such as on identification documents.

The term “third gender” applies to both trans people and hijras, although most of the attention in the media and in Indian society focuses on hijras. In India, as well as in several other South Asian countries, hijras are people usually born with male genitalia (or sometimes ambiguous genitalia) who live as women in a hierarchical and culturally complex system of “families” headed by gurus. Generally speaking, hijras are trans women but not all trans women are hijras.

Read moreird

Nepal issues first ‘third gender’ passport

 Nepal passport

 

Sylvia Tan | Gay Star News | August 8, 2015

Nepal has started issuing passports to applicants who wish to be identified as ‘other’ in the gender category in their passports following an amendment of passport regulations earlier this year

Nepal’s Department of Passports has revealed that it has issued its first passport in which the applicant’s gender is marked ‘other’.

The applicant, who has yet to collect the passport, has been identified in media reports as Manoj Shahi who now prefers to be known as Monica Shahi after undergoing gender reassignment surgery, according to the Himalaya Times.

To apply for a passport that states the applicant’s gender as ‘other’, the person must first have a citizenship certificate showing a similar status.

Pinky Gurung, chairperson of the Blue Diamond Society, said this was a milestone in their movement, particularly for the transgender people.

‘It’s great that the other category in citizenship has been extended to passport ,’ she was quoted as saying on eKantipur.com. ‘This is a historic moment.’

Read more

Thailand to recognize third gender

Darren Wee | Gay Star News | January 16, 2015

Thailand’s new constitution will recognize a ‘third gender’ for the first time, a move that has been welcomed by the country’s large LGBTI community.

A panel hand-picked by the military government began work on the new constitution this week after the previous one was scrapped following a coup in May.

Panel spokesperson Kamnoon Sittisamarn yesterday (15 January) said the charter would ensure protection for all sexual identities and equal treatment under the law.

Read more

Intersex Man Discovered He Had Kallmann’s Syndrome From High School Physical (VIDEO)

This is a Symbol for Gender “Intersex”, which does imply infinite Possibilities/Variety of anatomical Appearance and Gender/sexual Identity. It was originally designed by Maya Posch and has been changed a little by Marcus Werthmann to look more similar to the other Symbols, which Marcus Werthmann did use for a Project. In Accordance with Maya Posch, this Picture of the changed Version is now released by Marcus Werthmann, mentioning her Name to fit the choosen Creative Commons Licence. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Huffington Post | August 29, 2013

Germany will soon be the first European country to recognize babies born with ambiguous genitalia as a third gender, allowing parents to choose a baby’s sex later in life. HuffPost Live’s Nancy Redd hosted a discussion about what this change will mean for intersex parents and children.

Guest Nicky Chaleunphone, an EMT and firefighter who was born with Kallmann’s syndrome, said he believed his childhood would have been different if this choice existed during his formative years.

“Back then in the 1980s, intersex kids never had a choice,” he said. “Their choice was taken away from them.”

Read more