What Will It Take to End This Insanity? 怎樣才能結束這種瘋狂?

(中文在英文版之後)

Written by Abby Wu, Chairwoman of Intersex, Transgender and Transsexual People Care Association

Translated by Yo-Ling Chen, Founding Editor of Queer Margins

As the world joins France in celebrating the Olympics, Taiwan, too, is following close behind, with Chinese Taipei team’s boxing queen Lin Yu-Ting set to throw her first punch in the Paris Olympics on August 2nd. In March of 2023, Lin Yu-Ting won a bronze medal at the Women’s World Boxing Championships, but on the eve of the award ceremony, she was required by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) to undergo testosterone level testing. The IBF ruled that her testosterone levels were too high and hence she was disqualified from competing. 

Lin’s award was thus rescinded by the IBF. As a result of endless gender-related concerns during this year’s Paris Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued a statement emphasizing that all boxers who participate in the Paris Olympics must comply with competition rules and meet all eligibility requirements, including medical regulations.

Recently, Harry Potter author and notoriously outspoken critic of transgender women J.K. Rowling shared on X: “What will it take to end this insanity? A female boxer left with life-altering injuries? A female boxer killed?” As expected, Rowling once again showed that she will fight to the death on any transgender-related issue, even when said issues don’t explicitly have anything to do with transgender people. 

As a transgender person surviving in Taiwan, I have faced a lot of mistreatment on the basis of my gender; from sarcastic remarks to outright ridicule, from job discrimination to family division, the mistreatment never ends. Because of these experiences, I started the Intersex, Transgender and Transsexual People Care Association over a decade ago because I knew then, as I know now, that we as a community needed to care for each other ourselves. 

As the most progressive country in Asia in terms of LGBTQIA+ rights, Taiwan has already scored fifty50 points in my mind, but has yet to close the gap on the last ten10 points regarding transgender rights. In the past, we have accompanied our gay, lesbian, and bisexual friends by showing up for them on the streets to fight for marriage equality, equality rights, friends and stood on the streets to fight for marriage rights, as well as rights to equality and non-discrimination, together. After the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019, much of Taiwan’s LGBTQIA+ movement has shifted its attention to transgender people.

In addition to the inequities mentioned above, transgender people in Taiwan face many problems, including but not limited to: being questioned by strangers while walking down the street, enduring suspicious stares in public restrooms, being unable to receive the same quality of medical treatment as the general public (since we must find transgender-friendly doctors), and even enduring the physical and mental anguish of being misunderstood by social workers when we report domestic violence incidents and need support the most. 

Indeed, it is not easy being trans in Taiwan. I am grateful to all of my fellow trans community members for simply living every day, despite these conditions. Thank you. You don’t have to come out to march or even shout your sorrows for others to hear––just living is enough. Because as long as we are alive, we have a chance to see the sunshine. I know that right now feels like the dark before the dawn. Let’s get through this together. Let’s hold on for a little while longer. Together. 

As global conservativism continues its coordinated assault on transgender people everywhere, especially transgender women, using every method to dehumanize us as monsters, as “men pretending to be women,” I am reminded of a quote from Indigenous rights activist Savungaz Valincinan: “You won’t die if you don’t say certain things, but if you say those things, other people may very well die.” 

How many more transgender people does the world need to lose before this insanity ends?

文/台灣性別不明關懷協會理事長 吳伊婷

翻譯/酷兒翻越 有靈

在全世界與法國一起歡慶奧運之時,代表台灣的奧運中華隊當然不落人後,台灣拳后林郁婷將在8月2號迎來奧運第一拳。林郁婷曾在2023年3月世界拳擊錦標賽獲得銅牌,沒想到頒獎前夕遭到國際拳擊總會質疑,檢測出睪酮過高或未通過生化檢測,遭到協會取消資格、痛失獎牌。這次在巴黎奧運又面對接二連三的性別質疑,國際奧會(IOC)也祭發表聲明,強調所有能參加巴黎奧運的拳擊手,都有遵守參賽規定並符合資格,包含所有的醫療規定。

近日,一直以來擁護「反對跨性別女性」言論的《哈利波特》作者J.K.羅琳(J.K. Rowling)在X平台上針對這件事情表示意見,她表示:「什麼時候才能結束這種瘋狂?等到有女拳擊手為此受到危及生命的傷害?還是等到有女拳擊手因此被殺?」她只要是跨性別相關的議題就是往死裡打,即便今天這件事情跟跨性別似乎沒有關係。

作為在台灣生存的一位跨性別者,我面臨過許多針對跨性別者的歧視,從挖苦言論到揶揄玩笑,到就業不平等以及家人親屬間的分裂,這些一直以來都沒有少過。因為經歷了很多,我才在十幾年前成立了台灣性別不明關懷協會,因為我知道,我們需要自己照顧自己。

台灣作為亞洲在LGBTQIA+權益最為進步的國家,在我心中已經拿到了50分,剩下這10分就是跨性別者權益的空缺。過去,我們一直陪伴著我們的LGB朋友,站在街頭上,與他們一起爭取婚姻權,平等權,反歧視權。隨著台灣2019年通過同性婚姻後,很大一部分壓力轉到了跨性別者身上。

在台灣的跨性別者面對非常多的問題,除了上述的不平等以外,可能在路上被路人質問,在洗手間需要承擔別人的眼光,還有在醫院無法獲得與一般人一樣的醫療權利(因為我們要找到友善的醫生),甚至當我們發生家暴事件,需要政府單位協助時,我們還要在承擔自己身心傷痛時,與不明白的社工人員解釋跨性別是什麼。

確實,各位跨性別的夥伴辛苦了,謝謝你們每一天活著。你/妳不一定要出來遊行,出來吶喊,只要活著就好。因為我們只要活著,就有機會看到陽光。現在是黎明前的暗夜,讓我們一起走,好嗎?讓我們再撐一陣子,好嗎?

現在,全世界的保守人士窮盡各種方式攻擊跨性別者,特別是跨性別女性,在他們眼中,我們是怪物、是「假裝女人的男人」,我只想借在台灣的一位原住民權益運動者Savungaz Valincinan 

說的一句話回應你們:「有些話不說不會死,說了可能別人就死了」。

這個世界還需要損失多少跨性別者,才能夠結束這種瘋狂?