Change gender between men and women without surgery… “What happens in the locker room?” backlash
“We permit the correction of ‘male’ recorded in the gender column of the family relationship register to ‘female’.”
Ms. A, who was born with testicles and a penis in Korea, considered herself a woman. Since 2015, when she turned 17, she has been taking female hormones. From then on, she lived like a woman, both at school and at work. However, she did not undergo sex reassignment surgery. Ms A, who wanted to legally become a woman without surgery, applied to her court for permission to correct her gender. She experienced frustration in the first trial. The reason was that if she was recognized as a woman even though she had a man’s body, she “could cause social confusion, disgust, discomfort, embarrassment, etc.”
Mr. A appealed. And last February, the 2-3 Civil Affairs Division of the Seoul Western District Court accepted the request, saying, “The external genitalia should not be considered an essential element of the evaluation for determining gender identity.” It was ruled that “mental factors are the fundamental standard for determining identity.” It was believed that the subjective factor called spirituality should be given priority rather than the biological factor that can be objectively identified. “Forcing gender reassignment surgery against one’s will violates an individual’s dignity, so if gender identity can be determined based on factors other than surgery, it can be judged based on that.”
From today, I will become a woman (man)
The world has changed. Now in Germany, if you want to legally change your gender, you only need to submit the relevant documents to the family registration office. Hormone treatment or surgery such as genital removal or reconstruction is also not necessary. Simply select the option you want among ‘Male’, ‘Female’, ‘Various’, and ‘Do not specify’. It is also possible to change again after one year. A very convenient way has been opened to change from a man to a woman, and from a woman to a man again if you change your mind. This is because of the enactment of the ‘Self-Directed Decision Act’ that was passed on the 23rd of last month.
Following Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, and Switzerland, the Finnish parliament in February also passed a bill allowing people to change their legal gender through ‘self-declaration.’ Currently, about 20 countries in Europe are adopting this system. In Spain, a similar transgender rights bill was passed in December last year. Previously, in order to change one’s gender, one had to submit supporting documents such as treatment history and a medical certificate acknowledging physical and mental sexual incompatibility to the court, but this procedure has been eliminated. As the social안전놀이터 support base for the right to pursue happiness and diversity grows, the standard for determining gender is becoming the ‘claims’ of the parties rather than medical science.
Voices warning about “violation of women’s safety”
The backlash is also strong. The Korean Federation of Churches issued a statement saying it was “deeply concerned” following the Seoul Western District Court’s ruling. “Permission to change gender to female while maintaining genitalia, the most basic sign of maleness, is an overreach and arrogance that ignores scientific standards for gender determination,” he said. “What is most concerning is the social chaos and human rights violations that such indiscriminate gender correction will cause.” “He said. “Especially in the current situation where sexual violence against women is frequent, it is obvious that if ‘women’ with male genitals are legally recognized, there will be a serious infringement on women’s right to safety and privacy.”
This means that a situation can be created where a woman of strong status cannot be stopped even if she enters a women’s bathhouse or women’s restroom with a man’s penis. In fact, controversy arose last May when a man in the United States filed a civil suit worth $5 million (approximately 6.6 billion won) against the yoga academy after being stopped while trying to use the women’s locker room. According to a New York Post report, the man was receiving hormone injections, but she had not had sex reassignment surgery, so she was wearing her male sex area, which caused some women to yell and complain about her discomfort. According to the Human Rights Act enacted by New York City in 2016, New Yorkers can choose the gender they want, and those who do not respect this will be punished.
Is the world now swept by ‘political correctness’?
Currently, the Supreme Court of Korea has a standard rule that presupposes gender reassignment surgery for gender correction approval. Gender reassignment surgery carries health risks and financial burdens. This is why sexual minority civic groups are demanding continuous revision of the law, citing “the right to self-determination.” And last May, the National Human Rights Commission recommended that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court change the Supreme Court guidelines and the Speaker of the National Assembly to enact a special law. In the 2020 regulations, the Supreme Court lowered the status of external genitalia and the possibility of loss of reproductive ability and re-conversion from ‘investigation matters’ to ‘reference matters’. Conciliatory gestures are also continuing, such as the Suwon Family Court ruling the following year. “Requesting the irreversible removal of reproductive ability forces a person to damage the integrity of his or her body in order to have his or her sexual identity recognized, resulting in excessive restrictions on the right to self-determination, the right to personality, and the right not to have one’s body damaged.”
There are also voices warning of abuse. In Scotland, where the amendment to the ‘Sexual Transaction Simplification Act’ was passed, an absurd uproar occurred last January. This is because of a person named Isla Bryson (31). At the time when she was a ‘man’ (?), she was caught on charges of sexually assaulting two women and sentenced to 8 years in prison. While awaiting trial, she attempted to change her sex to a woman by receiving hormone prescriptions, and was imprisoned in a women’s prison. Public opinion boiled over when a criminal who raped a woman claimed to be a woman and isolated herself among the women. Bryson’s ex-wife testified in a media interview that “he has never once talked about his gender identity” and that “he is deceiving the judicial authorities.” Eventually, Bryson was transferred to a men’s prison.
What is equality… Troublesome sports world
The sports industry, which competes with the ‘body’, is in extreme confusion. A representative example is American swimmer Leah Thomas (23), who received hormone therapy without gender reassignment surgery and began competing in women’s competitions in 2021. She was a top 400 athlete in the men’s division, but made the leap to the top level in the women’s division. She started an unfair argument. A banner appeared in the stands saying, ‘As a woman, I reject men who compete.’ A female athlete who trained with Leah Thomas complained of her victimization, saying she was “forced to take off her clothes in front of her 193cm tall biological male”.
In Korea, Na Hwarin (37) was at the center of controversy. Last June, she competed in the cycling event at the Gangwon-do Min Sports Festival and won her second gold medal. Mr. Na underwent gender reassignment surgery from male to female. “I feel sorry for thinking that since I was playing from a superior position, it was no different than taking away places one by one,” said Na, who handed out drinks to other players after the game. “I think it is right to create a third category for transgender people, not men and women.” “He said. In response to many of these comments, the International Cycling Federation last month decided to block athletes who changed their gender after going through puberty as men from competing in the women’s division and change the existing men’s division into a ‘men’s and open division’. The federation explained that the measure was based on scientific analysis. Since their physical advantage is closer to that of men, they should compete with men.