A Ukrainian transgender woman named Zi Faámelu has cried out to relevant authorities that she is not allowed to leave Ukraine because her passport still says “Male”.
Zi Faámelu who is 31 years old says the gender section of her passport still shows “male” and the Ukrainian border authority would not let her pass.
According to reports, hundreds of trans people are stranded in Ukraine and not allowed to leave as their I.D documents still show “male”.
It is learnt that it is a “difficult process” for transgender Ukrainians to update their passports after gender transitioning. According to Human Rights Watch, they are often required to undergo psychiatric observation and gender-affirming surgery in order to update their official documents.
Zi Faámelu told journalists:
“I don’t want to go through that. This is like, humiliating for the world…I decided to keep my passport, keep male in my passport, and now I cannot leave this country”.
She added:
“A few hours ago I heard bombings and my windows were shaking. … I’m literally scared for my life. I’m completely alone now. Everybody in my neighbourhood has left. It’s such a dangerous situation, but I’m trying to stay optimistic”.
Human rights groups have advised some trans people to throw away their passports in order to get out of Ukraine.
According to UNHCR statistics, more than 1 million Ukrainians have fled the country since the war started on February 24, 2022. The agency added that “this figure has been rising exponentially, hour after hour.”
