The Court of Appeal in Lebanon has granted a trans man the right to legally change his gender.
A Lebanese judge reviewing the case of a trans man who had undergone gender-reassignment surgery has allowed him to be listed as a man in the civil registry after taking into account his psychological, sexual, moral and social status.
The man had battled to change his gender and “suffered since birth from gender identity disorder disease”. A medical report confirmed this, but a Lebanese court denied his request to change gender.
The case was then put before Judge Janet Hanna of the Court of Appeals. Judge Hanna ruled in favor of allowing the registry to be changed last September, saying: “The person’s right to receive the necessary treatment to relieve the suffering from physical and mental illness is a fundamental and natural right, no one can deprive him of it.” Her decision was released on Friday and is thought to be a breakthrough in trans rights.
Dr. Omar Fattal, president of the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health, applauded the ruling, telling the Washington Blade: “LebMASH believes that Janet Hanna’s ruling in Lebanon is very significant. We hope that it’s a first step towards more comprehensive rights for transgender individuals and all other minority groups.”
