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Two Emirati women file case to become men

Abu Dhabi - The two young women underwent sex-change operations in a European country.

Two young Emirati women are seeking court permission to be allowed to become men after reportedly undergoing sex-change operations abroad.
The transgender women, aged 22 and 23, filed their lawsuit at the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of First Instance asking for permission to change their gender and also have their female names changed to that of males in the government nationals' registry.
Ali Al Mansoori, a lawyer representing the Emirati women, said the two young women underwent sex-change operations in a European country after suffering from congenital defects and having masculine features including too much hair on their legs, big voices and other features "that distinguished them from women".
The lawyer noted that his clients had received "many medical reports" that recommended the sex-change operations and now want legal permission to have their gender and names changed in government records.
"The young women said they felt as if they were males from an early age. The sex-change operations were considered after several specialised medical committees examined them and confirmed that they had biological disorders which affected them psychologically," said Al Mansoori.
"The court has appointed a medical committee to examine the conditions of the two women and issue a medical report on their eligibility for sex change," Al Mansoori added.
The Federal Law No. (4) of 2016 on medical matters, which came into effect last year, permits a sex-change operation if a person's gender is unclear or if a medical examination confirms that their physical features do not match their biological, physiological and genetic characteristics, according to the lawyer.
"Changing sex is a long process that requires a medical ­report from the authorised medical committee stating that it is a medical necessity before courts can permit it," said Al Mansoori.
In September last year, an Emirati woman had filed a case at the Abu Dhabi Court of First Instance, seeking permission to undergo a sex-change operation. According to Al Mansoori - who is representing the woman - the case is still pending in court.
Why the women underwent sex-change operations
According to the two women's lawyer, Ali Al Mansoori, the two women:
Suffered from congenital defects
Had masculine features including too much hair on their legs, big voices and other features
Received medical reports that recommended the sex-change operations
What the law says
"The surgical procedure by which a transgender person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble that of their identified gender is permitted if it is part of a treatment for gender dysphoria in transgender people, as advised by a medical commission to be set up for this purpose."
ismail@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Abu Dhabi