TGEU Countries: Kyrgyzstan Interview with Tais Plus, a Bishkek-based sex-workers’ organisation Structural and institutional violence violation of their rights for not having documents that Kyrgyzstani law permits transgender people to change adequately reflect their gender identity. Apart from the their gender marker on their official documents, but more obvious forms of discrimination and violence, in- only after they have obtained “a document of a certi- cluding at the hands of law-enforcement officers, civ- fied standard issued by a medical institution confirming il-registry and border-control officers use the situation the sex change”. There is, however, no such thing as a to extort transgender people. In practice, some civil-reg- ais Plus is a community-based organisation of sex workers Tais Plus does not sufficiently understand trans issues, and “document of a certified standard”, as a result of which istry officials require a document proving that a person T that was established over 15 years ago. We try to maintain Labrys lacks knowledge of the situation of sex workers. By work- it is nearly impossible for transgender people to change has undergone gender-reassignment surgery, and some a communal spirit, make decisions as a team and improve the ing together in an intersectional way, we are able to understand their gender marker, which in turn causes them to be change documents on the basis of a diagnosis only. situation of sex workers in this country. Labrys is also a commu- each other and the concerns of the two groups, and of trans sex subjected to multiple forms of discrimination and the nity-based organisation and our long-term partner because we workers, better, and to provide members of this community with understand each other and work together for solutions to our support, and to empower them to overcome life’s challenges on problems. Members of the two teams go to work every day, de- their own. For the record 1. Since January 2012, D., a transgender man, has repeat- 3. In December 2014, T., a transgender man, was going ty-based solutions, solutions that emerge from those who come In 2014, we joined forces to draft a joint alternative report on edly asked the civil-registry office to change his name and through customs at the airport in Bishkek for a work-re- to us and seek support and those whom we do not yet know but the situation of women sex workers, drug users and LBTI people gender marker. At first, a civil-registry official refused on lated trip. T. was in the process of transitioning – he had whose views and needs reach us through word of mouth via our to submit to the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimi- the grounds that D. needed to undergo sex-reassignment had gender-reassignment surgery and had been on outreach workers, volunteers and allies. nation Against Women at its 60th session. Not everything went surgery first. In the spring of 2013, D. had his mammary hormone therapy for over a year at the time of the inci- smoothly during the cooperation: sometimes it was difficult to glands removed and received a sex-reassignment-sur- dent – but his ID did not reflect his gender identity. The In recent years, we and Labrys have identified various common agree on the specific issues that should be presented to the Com- gery certificate. However, D.’s application was again de- border-control officer expressed doubt as to whether T. concerns. Transgender sex workers have become more visible, mittee. But we coped with these difficulties, and we learned to nied because an official claimed that these changes can was presenting his own documents, as a result of which and they contact us more frequently. In the last two years, trans- support each other and find common issues, always with the goal only be made once all sex-reassignment surgeries have T. explained that he was trans and presented a medical gender sex workers have encountered extreme levels of violence of improving the situation of our communities. been completed and after a meeting by a panel of doctors certificate. The documents did not satisfy the officer, so of all specialties to confirm the sex reassignment. he took T. to his supervisor’s office. At the office, three spite the challenges they face, and they strive to find communi- from the police or those who pose as police. Incidents include not border-control officers (all cisgender males) asked him only insults from passers-by on the street, but also humiliation, + 50 + beatings, sexual assault and blackmail. In one incident, a trans 2. In January 2015, S., a transgender man, attempted to personal questions concerning his gender identity and woman sex worker was forced to undress by police officers at have his gender marker changed at his district’s civil-reg- sexual orientation. Under the pretext of drug-traffick- a police station and filmed. This video was later distributed istry office. Officials refused to accept his documents, ing suspicions, the officers subjected T. to a full strip through social media and websites. demanding that he present them with a “document of a search. After the questioning and search, T. was given certified standard”, which, as indicated above, does not his documents back, but he was not allowed to leave exist. S. had a medical certificate that confirmed his hav- the country. After the humiliation and psychological vio- ing been diagnosed with F64.0, “Transsexualism”, but lence that T. suffered at the hands of the border-control because the certificate was not of a “certified standard”, officers, he decided not to argue their decision and was his application was rejected. forced to cancel his trip. + 51 +