The males’ average power during a punching motion was 162% greater than females’. It is indicated that a male can easily abuse a female. Likewise, trans-identified males own these physical advantages. What is worse is that they can access to women’s spaces.
- Source 誰偷換女廁4／免術換證猶如失速列車 如有人因此喪命「誰負責？」 from CTWANT
In last September, a trans woman, Xiao E, successfully changed her legal sex (without providing the proof of a sex reassignment surgery) after the ruling of the administrative court came out. This news provoked a major conflict in Taiwan’s LGBTQ communities. Below is the self-revelation written by Onsdag, a pansexual man.
From my adolescence, I have always been closer to girls or girlish boys. In PE classes, I would rather gossip with girls rather than play basketball with boys. Though I am not traditionally masculine, my first girlfriend is extremely feminine. Even having been a two-timer, I never date with men. My last relationship is with a woman and it ends after 10 years of quarrels.
I began to know gender diversity when studying at college. One of my friends invited me to help make a documentary on gay people. To know more about LGBTQ communities, I started to join the Pride parade in Taipei. During this process, I knew some cross-dressing males and transgender people, too. According to this piece of experience, I regard myself as a pansexual male who are mainly attracted to females.
I have been an activist for LGBTQ rights for more than 10 years; however, the Gender Recognition Act is different from the same-sex marriage bill. After reading the “Survey on People’s Attitudes to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA)” (a commission appointed to the Graduate Institute for Gender Studies at Shih Hsin University by the Executive Yuan’s Department of Gender Equality), my first thought was it should not be advocated in a haste. For example, married gays and lesbians will need the rights like adopting children. If we cannot fully recognize two persons’ marital status, why do we skip to the recognizing of one’s gender identity? The truth is, the GRA is passed in less than 20 nations. It is a rather small number when compared with the same-sex marriage bill (about 30 nations including Taiwan). Further, Spain and Germany just postponed their GRAs. Even Japan, our neighboring nation in East Asia, rejected the act in last year. As for the US, the act is not made and implemented in most states.
In the UK, the Gender Recognition Act was passed and implemented with controversies from 2010. For example, trans-identified males raped females in women’s prisons. Male and female restrooms were cancelled in some schools. Instead, uni-sex restrooms were established. As a result, many female students are too afraid to go to uni-sex restrooms. They can never feel safe and relaxed in this kind of restrooms.
What I can predict is that, the GRA might do harm to transsexual people. Why did I say so? Once, one Taiwan’s company held a job interview with a trans-identified male. Though this company was open-minded to the interviewee’s gender identity, it was accused of “gender discrimination” after refusing to let her use its female restroom. In fact, this company’s rejection was based on its female employees’ opinions. However, the court not only ignored this part but also punished the company. In the long term, trans people definitely will be excluded from most job opportunities. Trans-identified people may change their legal sex to become a cisgender employee. So, I would ask, in that case, where could transsexual people retreat to? Did this result do any good to trans people? Absolutely not!
In my opinion, a true trans would never adapt to the original sex organs. The trans man (ftm) I knew took his womb right after he became 20-year-old. He changed the sex marker on his ID card as well. When his deposit was enough, he got an artificial penis and testicles. I have been told that a testicle costs 100,000 NTD (3,356 USD)! So, I do not think Taiwan’s GRA or a simpler procedure to change of one’s legal sex can help trans people. That is not what they need.
According to one research, “the males’ average power during a punching motion was 162% greater than females’.” It is indicated that a male can easily abuse a female. Likewise, trans-identified males own these physical advantages. What is worse is that they can access to women’s spaces. I would suggest that the GRA should not be passed no matter its supplements are offered or not. We should remember Murphy’s laws. If any detail is not covered in the laws, someone may have to pay. If any woman dies, who will pay for it?
