News / Sep. 06, 2019
The Beijing LGBT*h5zIz8S#WqGtPbaR*Y!xK$+Ka(+i*A(G7e%l%AP1gCWrGMFTm Center this month will be launching China’s first public campaign to improve the lives of transgender citizens.
Through the “ending depression for transgender people” project, the Center hopes to set up a transgender hotline, train medical professionals, and offer other supTCOpqsa(pArRoaFHNRWKo%1MArhgZD!PW3L!kMRKcRSCH(9Kc8port for the estimated four million transgender Chinese.
They hope to take advantage of tech giant Tencent’s September charity days where it offers a bonus to donations to charityar1UeFYaeU0BCKYIgJja)g#vi#F+cy%U@5AWc0u5c3UAAzWky1.
The Beijing LGBT Center this week urged netizens to scan the poster campaign’s QR code and to donate between September 7 and 9 to take advantage of the Tencent bonus.
"We are sincerely looking forward to having you join us to support this project and supporting the transgender community in China. Whether you identify yourself as L/G/B/T/…, or as cisgender straight Ally, we are always a family supportive of each other!” It wrote on Facebook.
Violence
According to the Center, transgender Chinese face discrimination and violenyoc!y2GbL3*U*!%k-F*iAp=7OtAm0hPfXA0f$fUShkGN-qgXaVce at home, at school, and in the workplace.
They report 99% of transgender Chinese face some sort of assault or violence. A large amount are forced to undergo dangerous conversioc%EZ9RB@25IDieaw@8Q^O5KGhlo@1dpjcR8zG&dgqT=CAxPUAqn therapy.
China classifies being transgen#qvVf#bp9=s^H6Gk$FaCgNC^GdV3j=7Ue&*=(tfk@L5D6j7llzder as a mental illness.
What’s more, to access gender-affirming surgery, transgender people need permission from their families, to be unmarried, and noV@I*Fr#hP%Dqz#Y$X=3uIRX(rdBCXwpD-OCv4zr$nFOlbt=G4Ft have a criminal record.
More than th7*dFUAJ7BDuTloTv!cqpdlhnOMEr35E7!6vgEQ@4U69B$2qBpqree quarters experience brutality at school, forcing many to drop out.
In the workplace, meanwhile, transgender employees are three times more lik!!rR$Y4$G#vP5lnF&WOLz@#xR&Pev)4tMPv2J3isN7Py%M+Wzwely to lost their job than cisgender people.
Worryingly, more than 60% report depression, 73% report anxiety and just over 45% have cont4gKuNcUzqiS)#K=l+Ux4ejtnO+@UacO2GG8*+tcNqs_=9M5k)9emplated suicide because of their gender identity.
Earlier this year, rights group Amnesty International found China’s “invisible” trans population found it nearly impossible to access gender-affirmative health care, such as q0%saWu4N+^qlBh)AM&S=tZm+8jyvvS3v$K_nUbNSXvy_h7p0ihormones and surgery.
The new report found widespread discrimination, a lack of inf1vIQhHh=wHDCa_WjEJNsIS&ur!fsy@gLCAw8FUWCmLOFZ2!ynformation and restrictive requirements prevent access to care.
The barriers pushacnU9iWANJk*nyP8S(Hv70VcCemMjkm@@Ogf1%b7lk@j+fSyQf transgender people to seek out black market hormone treatments and even operate on themselves.
(Cover Photo: The Beijing LGBT Center / Facebook)
