Ming 是一位在香港成長的跨性別人士,並於2017年開展了她的性別轉換過程。無論是自己的觀察或親身經歷,都令Ming 明白到香港對跨性別人士的支援十分不足。
例如Ming 是一個學生,一些課程或活動指明只歡迎某一種性別人士(男或女)參與。在香港,如沒有接受性別重置手術是不能更改身分證上的性別的,那麼應該填寫性別哪一欄,是否需要暴露自己跨性別人士的身份,都是跨性別人士在日常生活中面對的困難和爭扎。
Ming 認為自己十分幸運,得到家人及朋友的支持。但社會對性別的認知不足,並非所有人能如她一樣幸運。身邊許多朋友更同時需要面對性別暴力,社會也不在乎他們的聲音。Ming 很希望為跨性別人士發聲、特別是在醫護界改善社會對跨性別人士的接受程度,在制度上爭取更多改變。
過去幾年Ming曾受抑鬱症困擾,加上了解到一些跨性別人士亦未完全接受自己的身份,會責難自己;加上生活壓力迫人,跨性別人士加倍需要社會支持。Ming希望能順利完成醫科學位,成為家庭科或精神科醫生,直接幫助情緒有問題或跨性別人士。
Ming曾是香港心理衛生會及香港同志遊行的義工。現時是 Asian Professional Association of Transgender Health的學生代表及香港同志醫學會的督導委員會委員。
Raised in Hong Kong, Ming is a transgender person and started her gender transition since 2017. For her, Hong Kong’s support for transgender people has been grossly inadequate.
As a student herself, Ming has observed that some courses or activities indicate that only a particular gender (male or female) is welcome. Furthermore, transgender persons in Hong Kong are not able to change the gender on their Hong Kong identity without getting the gender reassignment surgery, and filling in the gender column on forms becomes a dilemma of whether or not to fully expose one’s transgender identity.
Ming thinks she is very lucky and is well supported by family and friends. However, society’s understanding of gender is still very binary and not everyone is as lucky as her. Many of her transgender friends have had to face gender-based violence and society does not care about their voices. Ming is keen to speak for transgender people, especially in the healthcare industry. She would like to improve the acceptance of transgender people in the community and to make more changes in the healthcare system.
In the past few years, Ming has been suffering from depression. In addition, she notes that some transgender people do not fully accept their identity and will tend to blame themselves. Coupled with the pressure of life, transgender people need more social support. Ming hopes to successfully complete her medical degree and become a family doctor or a psychiatrist, to be able to directly help transgender people or people with emotional problems.
Ming was a volunteer at the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Pride Parade. She is also currently a student representative of the Asian Professional Association of Transgender Health, and the HKLGBT Medical Society. On weekdays, Ming likes to participate in street photography and see the world through a different lens.