Trans Rights In Global Recession–One Year After Transgender Removed From WHO List Of Diseases
by Jamie WarehamOne year since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declassified transgender people's gender dysphoria as a disease, trans rights are in a global recession, say LGBT+ activists.
Transgender Europe (TGEU) monitor trans rights around the world, with a specific focus on Europe and Asia. They tell me that despite numerous improvements in some countries over recent years, trans rights are in recession:
"The picture is diverse, and some countries are moving forward. But we also see a lot of stagnation and recession." Health Officer Leo Mulió Alvarez tells me.
They've also become the latest in a line of European and Global LGBT+ organisations to point out that COVID-19 crisis is providing a pretence for governments to roll back trans rights.
"The rollback in rights we are seeing is getting even more with the coronavirus situation. Countries are taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis to reduce transgender rights," Alvarez says.
"But it's a complicated picture as we are also seeing attacks from religious, anti-gender and even feminist groups."
Others research shows the COVID-19 pandemic will also make LGBT+ peoples lives disproportionately worse.
‘Gender Identity Disorder’ no longer an internationally recognised disease
A year ago, 25 May 2019, WHO approved an update to their International Classification of Diseases list.
ICD-11 now lists gender incongruence as a "marked and persistent incongruence between a person's experienced gender and assigned sex."
In the previous version, it was called a "gender identity disorder", included in the mental and behavioural disorders list.
Lale Say, the Coordinator of WHO's Department of Reproductive Health and Research, said the change happened because they now have a "better understanding that it was not actually a mental health condition."
Adding, in a UN release last year, that the reclassification will "reduce the stigma" while ensuring "access to necessary health interventions."
And the announcement was received with a mixed response last year. Transgender Europe would still like to see the WHO go even further and remove any reference to gender incongruence.
Despite this, much like the declassification of 'homosexuality' in 1990, it was a signal of hope to many trans people all over the world. But in the 30 years that have passed since being gay was no longer a listed disease, same-sex relationships remain illegal in 70 countries.
And the first anniversary of the declassification of being transgender is fraught with a pain worse than having to endure slow progress–a rollback of rights.
Hungary Becomes First Country To Remove Transgender People’s Legal Recognition
No example is more prominent than in Hungary who became the first country to remove the rights of transgender people it had once given them.
Hungary has changed all references to "sex" on official documents to the immutable "sex at birth."
The first time, this kind of block has been used in law—one which could set a worldwide precedent.
"There are several countries, for example, Malaysia, where court decisions have made legal gender recognition practically impossible. They have set precedent requirements that are impossible to meet," Katrin Hugendubel, Advocacy Director at ILGA-Europe, tells me.
"But this kind of legislative block had not occurred before where the existing legal identity categories were explicitly changed to make the gender marker immutable."
And plans are afoot in, the once seen as liberal, U.K. where the equalities minister Liz Truss has teased plans to restrict the ability of under-18s to transition.
It's just one of many reasons the U.K. continues to fall down the European ranking of LGBT rights, that it once sat at the top of.
Nations still have time to update their laws in line with the WHO's guidelines, the deadline for which set by the UN, in January 2022.
But, though Transgender Europe remains hopeful–they are aware of the steep road ahead.
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