Delegates at Beyond Numbers Forum discuss transgender issues in breakout session

Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN) discussion on critical issues affecting transgender health and rights

On 25 August 2011, at the ICAPP Community Forum, about 15 transgender people and activists from the Asia-Pacific talked about their barrier in living as trans in the region.

While two countries in the Asia-Pacific region; Napal and India have some form on legal recognition for transgender people other countries are yet to follow the path. The voices raised by the participants in the group reflected the realities of the stigma and discrimination they faced in their home countries. In Malaysia a transwoman died of post-traumatic depression after Court passed a judgment that she is was not possible to change her name to a more feminine name. Thailand which is considered as hub for aesthetic surgeries for gender transformation, fall sort of adequate policies and programs to support transgender life.

“Transgender people in Asia-Pacific need the recognition as citizens and to live without stigma and discrimination from the health care, educational, employment sector” the group voiced.

Representative from several countries reported that HIV and social support programs for the transgender population are organized under the MSM umbrella. This approach has various limitations in programming as well as empowering transgender population to lead their programs.

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