Taiwan considering offering third gender option on IDs, passports

19, Jan 2018 | CJP Team

The Thomson Reuters Foundation reported that Taiwan is considering if it should offer a third gender option for its national identity cards and passports, noting that a government spokeswoman said via email that “the government is actively assessing this proposal but has yet to make a final decision”. She told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the “proposed policy is aimed at protecting the human rights of transgender people”. The Thomson Reuters Foundation called Taiwan “a beacon” of LGBT rights, highlighting that its apex court (the Constitutional Court) ruled in favour of same-sex marriage in 2017, which was the first such decision in Asia. Advocacy bodies have indicated that though Taiwan’s residents support LGBT rights, intersex people frequently face discrimination when attempting to get employment or avail of public services. Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBT) Hotline Association believes there are more than two million LGBT people living in Taiwan, according to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.