On their passport they are male and cannot leave the country
Hundreds of transgender women, men who have changed sex, were turned back at the Ukrainian border as they attempted to flee the country, due to their passports still bearing their name and gender of birth. This was reported by charities cited by the BBC, recalling that current rules in Ukraine prohibit male residents aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. And this means that anyone with a passport that says “male” risks being rejected at the border. In Ukraine, changing the gender and the name on the passport requires a long process, which also involves several psychiatric evaluations and this leads many people who have changed gender not to go through with the bureaucratic part. One of Ukraine’s leading transgender charities estimates that there are hundreds of trans women attempting to escape, but 90% of those she is in contact with have so far failed.
Difficulties and intolerance
According to Insight, Ukrainian society is still largely intolerant towards many social groups, including the LGBT community, (a reality that represents the gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer lesbian community). In recent years, there has been no shortage of discrimination and attacks against activists. Many members of the LGBT community are persecuted not only in real life, but also in social networks. Furthermore, LGBT people have to face daily problems of a different nature: from housing to work, to the impossibility of having a peaceful and open relationship with their partner. “We are engaged in various types of activities at local, national and international level,” says the founder of the association Olena Ševčenko during a recent meeting organized by the French network of European Citizens’ Assembly (AEC). “First, we provide assistance and support to LGBTQI people who live in difficult situations or who are subject to discrimination. We provide professional legal, medical and psychological assistance open to all. And, in addition to preparing and participating in events and demonstrations, we also hold workshops, trainings and discussions for a wider audience ».
In particular, it is transgender people who face even greater difficulties: «Transgender people in Ukraine have enormous difficulties with the gender transition procedure, the conversion or exchange of documents and, of course, with public opinion since in most In some cases it is extremely difficult to find a job if you are a transgender person, ”explains Olena.
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