EXCLUSIVE/Transgender man Nemo officially changes gender designation on ID card

Taipei, July 19 (CNA) A transgender man, identified as "Nemo" (尼莫), changed the gender designation on his identification card in Taipei on Friday, becoming the first transgender man in Taiwan to do so without undergoing gender-affirming surgery, after winning a court ruling in May.

"A new chapter of my life begins now," Nemo told CNA in an exclusive interview. "I really like how I look and who I am now."

After receiving his new ID card, he said he no longer has to "feel embarrassed when people see my ID card."

Nemo's wife, Mimi, told CNA that "seeing this (updated gender marker on Nemo's ID card) gave me goosebumps."

They were accompanied to the household registration office in Taipei's Xinyi District by Chien Chih-chieh (簡至潔), secretary-general of the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR), which provided pro bono support.

"With (Nemo's) new ID card, every day is a gift, and every day is a new start," Chien said. "No one should have to endure such a long ordeal just to obtain an identity card that matches their true self."

The Taipei High Administrative Court on May 30 ruled in favor of Nemo and ordered the household registration authorities to update the gender designation on his ID card.

The court revoked the decision by the household registration office to deny Nemo's application to change the gender on his ID card from female to male.

Nemo's case was brought to the court in December 2022 after his application was rejected in June 2022 and his appeal was denied a month later.

Nemo, who has identified as male since childhood, was cited in a May TAPCPR release as expressing excitement at the prospect of being recognized as a man in official documents.

According to the TAPCPR, Nemo's application was rejected because he could not provide proof of having undergone gender affirming surgery, a requirement he is unable to fulfill due to a previous operation following an unrelated issue.

Undergoing any additional major surgeries may pose life-threatening risks to Nemo, said the TAPCPR, a Taipei-based NGO dedicated to promoting LGBTQ+ rights.

The household registration office based its decision on a directive issued by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) in 2008, which required applicants wanting to change the gender designation on their ID card to provide medical certificates issued by two different doctors confirming a gender dysphoria diagnosis.

Surgery involving the removal of the breasts, uterus, and ovaries was also required in order to transition from female to male.

The office said on Friday that it followed the law at all times when handling Nemo's case.

The May verdict marked the second such case in Taiwan handled by the TAPCPR, after the same court issued a landmark ruling in 2021 in favor of the request of a transgender woman known as "Xiao E" (小E) to change her gender designation on her ID card.

Nemo said that he hopes his case will help others like him who are unable to undergo surgery yet wish to alter the gender designation on their ID cards.