TGEU Countries: Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan does not have anti-discrimination legisla- organisation that provides services for men who have For the record In incidents of violence against trans sex workers, the tion to protect people based on their sexual orientation sex with men (MSM). They argued that he was an in- 1. A trans man got a job without presenting ID. His em- perpetrators are usually police officers or transpho- and/or gender identity. It has general laws that protect appropriate candidate because, as a trans man, he was ployer then asked him to bring his ID to be registered bic clients, and the incidents usually occur at “pyatak” all citizens, and the Kyrgyz Criminal Code criminalises not “quite an MSM representative”, thereby failing to officially. The victim brought his passport (with a female (spots), places where sex workers typically work. There speech that incites “national, racial, religious or interre- distinguish gender identity from sexual orientation. gender marker) and a form indicating a diagnosis of are documented cases in which police officers use sexu- gional hatred”. However, there are no laws to protect transgenderism. The employer told him it was impossi- al violence against trans-women sex workers, and they the LGBTIQ community from hate crimes. Crimes clear- ble to hire him because of his gender identity. are often accompanied by degrading phrases such as ly motivated by homophobia and transphobia are inves- For the record tigated and classified without taking these motives into 1. A public-sector scientific urological centre in Bishkek 2. A trans woman was refused a job because of her gen- perpetrators seem to believe that their behaviour is “ed- account. Only ethnic or religious hatred is considered an denied an HIV-positive trans woman access to a vagi- der identity. The employers recognised the victim from ucational”. They force the victims to undress while film- aggravating circumstance, and only in one article of the naplasty. The woman did not seek legal recourse out of a well-known video, posted online by police officers, in ing them, and then distribute the videos through social Criminal Code, “Murder”. fear of being exposed to even greater stigma and dis- which she was forced to strip at a police station. The em- media. They sometimes also employ blackmail, threat- crimination. ployers discussed the video in front of the victim. ening to distribute the video unless they receive money. dous difficulties and maltreatment for trans people. The 2. Incidents of hate speech occurred several times during 3. A trans woman went to a medical institution to be diag- Ministry of Health is responsible for the development ProTrans. A week after an attack on a Labrys event on 17 nosed and receive treatment, but after finding out about For the record and approval of the documents that medical specialists May 2015, Delo, a national homo/transphobic newspa- her gender identity, the doctor sent her out of his office. 1. Six to eight police officers brought a 19-year-old fill out for citizens. However, as indicated above, there is per, published illegally taken photos of LGBTIQ people After the victim left the office, the doctor invited other trans-woman to the police station and forced her to un- no standardised form to facilitate the process of chang- at an internal event during the International Day against doctors to watch and laugh at her as she left the hospital. dress while filming her. This video was later distributed ing one’s gender marker, even though such a form is of- Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) week. The through local social media websites and mobile applica- ficially required in order to change one’s gender marker. photos were intended to out LGBTIQ people and sub- tions. Police officers can be heard humiliating and mock- State hospitals also violate human rights: they only have ject them to hate speech, humiliation and mockery. “You are a man, and should have sex with women”. The Institutional violence in healthcare also poses tremen- + 52 + Direct transphobic violence ing the victim, telling her that she is disgusting and should male and female wards available at no charge. If a trans Within the trans community, sex workers are especial- not wear female clothing, and calling her a faggot. One of person’s gender marker has not been changed, they are ly vulnerable to violence, as has been confirmed by the the police officers stole her phone and money. placed in the wing that accords with their registered monitoring carried out within the framework of the Pro- gender. If they wish to be placed in a separate ward, they Trans project: the victims of the most serious violence, 2. In November 2014, X., an 18-year-old trans-woman are required to pay. including sexual assault, were all sex workers. sex worker was attacked by her client and his friends. Societal violence The four young men identified themselves as police of- Trans activists are also often silenced within civil soci- Trans people in Kyrgyzstan are constantly harassed and Similarly to the intention to introduce the anti-LGBTIQ ficers and forced her to undress, threatening her with im- ety and by service providers for at-risk groups. For ex- humiliated in public spaces, and they also face constant bill, which would impose administrative and criminal prisonment and rape if she did not comply. They verbally ample, a trans activist announced his candidacy for the discrimination from medical personnel, employers and penalties for the “creation of a positive attitude towards abused her, touched her breasts and filmed her naked on elections for Country Coordination Mechanism of The public officials. Of the nine cases of discrimination reg- non-traditional sexual relations”, there have been vari- camera. They then demanded that X. provide them with Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. istered during ProTrans, five were connected with the ous attempts in Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Council to crimi- $1,000 US, threatening that they would otherwise post He was discriminated against by staff members of an lack of legal gender recognition. nalise sex work, including twice in 2014-2015. the video on the Internet and give it to local TV stations. + 53 +