Seeing the Needs of Transgender People — Taipei City Government’s Trans-Friendly Service Guidelines
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This article is part of the 58th issue of LEAP — Voices of Youth e-letter. Subscribe now.
“Are you a Mr. or Ms.?”
At a press conference in January, Viva, a transgender woman, discussed the current conditions facing transgender individuals while recounting her ordeal of being questioned about her gender during a police inspection. The awkwardness almost forced her to come out.
However, Viva is not alone. There are many transgender individuals in Taiwan facing similar challenges in their daily lives.
In Taiwan, transgender individuals remain a less understood group for many. Even frontline personnel in public agencies often find themselves at a loss or struggle to respond appropriately when encountering transgender individuals.
In response, the Taipei City Government introduced the “Transgender-Friendly Service Guidelines” four years ago, hoping to help frontline workers, such as teachers, police officers, medical personnel, and social workers better understand how to address the needs of trans people and provide them with the assistance they need.
Understanding the needs of transgender people through guidelines
“It’s actually not just about transgender individuals; sometimes, people just dress more neutrally, which some colleagues may not understand,” said ＹYeh Ching-yi, a researcher at the Office for Gender Equality of Taipei City. The office is committed to using courses and guidelines to enable public servants of Taipei City Government to work without being constrained by gender stereotypes.
The “Transgender-Friendly Service Guidelines” compiled by the Taipei City Government provide guidelines for different service scenarios in public agencies. For example, it reminds social workers to ask how to address the service recipient and to apologize sincerely when gender misidentification occurs; medical personnel are advised not to pathologize transgender individuals at first glance; and teachers or administrative staff are reminded to respect transgender students’ choice of toilets based on their gender identity.
Yeh pointed out that after the launch of related courses and guidelines, many colleagues have been providing positive feedback, saying they can now better understand the mindset and needs of transgender individuals.
“In situations where regulations cannot be changed, we (public agencies) can take a stand first,” said Chu Yi-chen, secretary-general of the Office for Gender Equality of Taipei City, emphasizing that both the friendly guidelines and the integrated services convey a message that “we know and see this group.”
On the path of promoting gender friendliness
In addition to transgender-friendly guidelines, Chu mentioned that the Taipei City Government has also implemented a series of gender-friendly measures and services, such as setting up gender-friendly toilets, gender-friendly measures for military physical examinations, and adding the option of “Other” in questionnaires and surveys.
However, even though there are many friendly measures to implement, they still inevitably encounter questioning and opposition in the process. Chu gave an example: some parents believe that gender-friendly toilets cannot allow children to learn about gender “correctly” because, for them, there are only two genders: male and female.
Therefore, gender equality education for the general public must be continuously promoted. “Or it’s like reaching a certain point and then suddenly stopping — it will just end up going backward,” Chu said.
Adhering to the spirit of making gender minority groups visible, Yeh also said that they will put more efforts to make it more comfortable for people of any gender identifications to co-live in Taipei City. “We wish to make sure they have their own space, and whether they are willing to publicly express their gender identity or not, we will provide this option.”
Also in This Issue: Challenges Facing Transgender Individuals in Taiwan’s Healthcare System
While Health for All has been a universal goal for years, people from the transgender community still face challenges when it comes to receiving health services in Taiwan.
Author : Evelyn Yang
Freelance journalist exploring gender and public issues.
