For the first time ever, a trans man in the Lebanon has had his gender legally changed on public records.
The decision came after Judge Janet Hanna of the Beirut, Lebanon Court of Appeals, allowed the man to change his legal gender.
The ruling has been celebrated as the first time in the Lebanon that a person has been allowed to legally change their gender.
Many have hailed the decision as a huge step towards equality.
Despite that Lebanon being one of the more LGBT-accepting Arabic countries, it still has discriminatory laws and policies.
The penal code of the Lebanon prohibits sexual acts “contradicting the laws of nature.”
Trans people are required to undergo gender reassignment surgery in order to legally change their gender.
In order to legally change their gender marker, transgender people must also be unmarried and not have children.
Activists hope the latest ruling will help pave the way to more equal society for LGBT people.
by Joseph Patrick McCormick
Source – PinkNews
