The Year In Review

Year in Review Series:
Human rights activists make progress in decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide

Continuing a series of posts on the significant developments in the LGBT community in 2011, there were numerous advances around the world in the rights and visibility of transgender and intersex people.

Transgender and Intersex rights

One of the world’s most progressive transgender equality laws was passed in Argentina’s parliament and in the UK a plan for comprehensive changes to ensure equality for trans people was announced. Chile also passed an anti-discrimination based on gender identity law as did California and Massachusetts. But in Puerto Rico a roll-back of legal protection was proposed.

Anna Grodzka

The Pole Anna Grodzka (left) became the first transsexual Member of Parliament in Europe, and only the second trans parliamentarian in the world.

Germany removed the surgery requirement for legal gender change, as did Kyrgyzstan.

Pakistan‘s Supreme Court created a “third gender” category, but authorities have been slow to implement it. This caused real problems for trans people during the flooding which hit the country this year as did a similar failure to follow through on legal change in Nepal.

The first trans rights rally took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and new trans and intersex groups appeared in Russia and in Africa and the African groups came together to meet in Uganda.

Turkey jailed trans activists for ‘insulting police’ but an activist won a case against police at the European Court of Human Rights. Attacks on trans people by police in Albania drew protests.

The death of trans activist Aleesha Farhana in Malaysia after courts refused to change her gender on official documents sparked mass protests and a government concession and also increased, sometimes bizarre, coverage in local media.

The first intersex mayor in the world was elected in Australia. In September, the world’s first International Intersex Organizing Forum took place in Brussels.

Figures released in October showed that one transgender person is murdered somewhere in the world at least every other day.

Tags: 2011 Year In Review, Anna Grodzka, Gender Identity, Intersex, Transgender, Transgender Rights, Transsexual

Filed under: National Headlines