Transgender women are not allowed to leave Ukraine. Martial law has been in force in the country since February 24, the day the invasion began: no man between the ages of 18 and 60 is allowed to leave the borders and is obliged to fight against the Russian invaders. In this regard, border police “systematically refuse exit to transgender women, considering them to be men, despite many documents showing the opposite. “Border police officers strip you and touch you everywhere,” Judis, a transgender woman, told the Guardian. “You can see on their face that they’re like, ‘What are you?’ as if I were an animal”. The case of Judis is not an isolated one: hundreds of trans women have been rejected at the border. In Ukraine, the process of certifying sex reassignment is tedious and complicated: trans people have to undergo and often become entangled in psychiatric tests lengthy bureaucratic processes.As a result, many lacked genderspecific documents when martial law was instituted.But even those who do possess them, like Judis, are still rejected.
The certificates
Border police took Judis to a room and examined her: “You’re a boy, so get out of here and go to war,” they told her. Alice, 24, from Brovary near Kyiv, was in a similar situation with her wife Helen, 21. “There were three officers in the room,” he told the Guardian. “They made us take off our jackets and examined our hands and arms and neck to see if we had Adam’s apples. They touched my breasts and after examining us, they concluded that we were men. We tried to explain the situation, but they didn’t care ». Trans people stranded in Ukraine fear for their lives if Vladimir Putin takes control of the country. In 2013, the Kremlin introduced the “Gay Propaganda” law, which made it illegal to promote the rights of LGBTQ+ people. The situation in Ukraine is better than in Russia, but not rosy. According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, Ukraine ranks 39th among 49 European countries for the treatment of LGBTQ+ people. Gay marriages are banned, there are no antidiscrimination laws and there is still strong prejudice supported by the Orthodox Church.
The health risks
It’s not just the risk of a Russian invasion that endangers trans people in Ukraine. The war has drastically reduced the availability of hormones in the country as many pharmacies have closed and many doctors are no longer practicing. Hormones are key to the treatments that trans people undergo: “It’s very dangerous for your health if you suddenly stop them,” Alice said. The United Nations has urged Ukraine to take a softer approach to applying martial law after it was revealed that many men are still trying to flee the country. “In my life, I want to be free and do what I want,” Judis said. “I will try to cross the border because I have the right to live and go. And I won’t be silent. I will not be captured.’
Cover picture: EPA / MARTIN DIVISEK
