Yeongdong, South Korea - In a landmark ruling, a regional court in Yeongdong on Wednesday declared that requiring transgender individuals to undergo sex reassignment surgery to legally change their gender violates their rights. The court approved the legal gender change from male to female for five transgender individuals who have not undergone the surgery but have identified as women from a young age and have been receiving hormone therapy for years.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the court emphasized that all humans have the right to live according to their gender identity, and that forcing surgical operations on transgender individuals compromises their physical integrity. The ruling critiques current guidelines, which suggest surgery and fertility loss as criteria for gender change, stating these should only serve as references and not mandatory requirements. Song Ji-eun, the legal representative for the case, highlighted the significance of the ruling in challenging past decisions that strictly adhered to these guidelines, marking a step forward in recognizing the rights of transgender individuals to pursue happiness and live as equal members of society.