A decision to legally recognise a transgender male as a woman three years ago might be revoked by authorities in the southern province of Binh Phuoc because of its “illegality”.
Pham Van Hiep after transgender surgery
Nguyen Van Hoi, Chairman of Binh Phuoc People’s Committee, has urged the provincial Department of Justice to provide legal advice on revoking two decisions issued by the People’s Committee of Chon Thanh district in 2009 and 2011 to allow Pham Van Hiep, born in 1974, to re-define his sex from male to female and to change his name to Pham Le Quynh Tram.
The provincial authorities have also proposed disciplinary action against the officials who approved this decision.
The provincial people’s committee said in a statement that the gender recognition is against the Government’s Decree 88 on banning people with no gender problems from changing gender.
Since receiving approval to redefine his sex, Pham Van Hiep has become widely known as the first transgender individual in Vietnam to be recognised by the authorities as a woman.
According to a non-medically qualified representative from the provincial Department of Justice, Hiep had been a man who had experienced normal development as a child and there was no reason for him to re-define his gender.
It was reported that in 2006, medical tests showed that Hiep had high levels of female hormones and female characteristics in her sexual organs. So doctors advised Hiep to go to Thailand for a transgender operation and she had to spend one year to complete transgender procedures.
Tram has vowed to legally contest any reversal to the decision that recognised her current gender.
