Lebanon: Court Allows Trans Man to Legally Change His Gender

trans
A Transgender woman holds an LGBT flag on November 24, 2015. REUTERS/Kham

NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A court in Lebanon has ruled that a transgender man can legally change his gender to male in the nation's civil registry, marking a landmark step in transgender rights in the Middle Eastern nation, advocates and his attorney said on Friday.

In the ruling, the Court of Appeals of Beirut weighed the man's health and well-being as factors in allowing the change in official records to take place.

He suffered from a gender identity disorder and the "operation was a medical necessity to relieve him from his suffering that had been present throughout his life," the court said in its ruling, according to a Beirut newspaper, The Daily Star.

His attorney Elie Khattar confirmed the ruling by telephone from Lebanon.

The decision marks the first time an appeals court in Lebanon has ruled specifically in support of transgender rights to treatment, Youmna Makhlouf, an attorney with Legal Agenda, a local non-profit advocacy group, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

A person's right "to receive the necessary treatment for any physical and psychological illness is a fundamental and natural one," the ruling said.

"Here what is important in the decision is that it was stated as a matter of fundamental rights. It was not stated as a matter of humanitarian policy or for clemency purposes," Makhlouf said from Beirut.

The decision opens the way for transgender people in Lebanon to have better access to health care as well as clearer recognition of their fundamental rights, she said.

The appeals court issued the ruling in September but its decision was only recently publicized, local media and activists said.

The case reached the appeals court after the transgender man was denied a request to change his gender in the civil registry by a lower court.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer

Reuters

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go