MOE & IMH Issue Statement About the Case of 18YO Transgender’s Hormonal Treatment

Previously, it was reported that a transgender student made some serious claims against the Ministry of Education (MOE).

In a Reddit post, the student, a male-to-female transgender girl, said that she was supposed to undergo hormone therapy.

However, this was allegedly stopped by the MOE.

Brought Issue Up

The student was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in 2019.

In 2020, when starting her JC-level education, the student informed the MOE of her diagnosis through school.

According to the student, the ministry’s reply was this: “This is a new issue and we would like to work with you to learn more about it.”

The student said her parents’ consent to her seeking treatment and an agreement with her doctor claim that she would only start hormone therapy when she turned 18.

Her classmates and teacher were also supportive.

However, upon turning 18 in August, she was shocked when her doctor told her that the MOE had intervened, blocking the treatment request.

She said this caused her mental trauma an affected her ability to pass as female.

Eventually, she took to Reddit to air her grievances on 14 Jan, and you can read the full post here.

In response, MOE also released a statement on Facebook, saying they did not deny her request.

The post also stated that they worked closely and respected MOH’s advice and that they don’t interfere with medical treatment.

They also referred to the student with male pronouns, drawing further ire from the student.

“In addition, they do not respect my pronouns and instead intentionally misgendered me.”

She also said that MOE’s statement was a lie.

New Joint Statement From IMH and MOE

On 21 Jan, the Institue of Mental Health (IMH) and MOE have released a joint statement on this case.

They said that regarding treatment using hormonal therapy, the final decision lies with the clinicians and patients.

However, “such treatments also require the written consent from parents, where minors are concerned,” and IMH clarified that minors in this instance refer to those under the age of 21, not 18.

Also mentioned was that IMH’s clinicians will get inputs from a wide range of stakeholders in treating individuals who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

Both agencies say that IMH works with schools and parents to support students to make a conducive learning environment.

“In this case, the school is committed to providing the education support the student needs to graduate, including via home-based learning.”

It states that the school will work with IMH to help the student and others to respect the family’s privacy.

In the midst of the situation, a non-profit run organisation, Sayoni, took to Facebook to show support for the student.

Sayoni, who aims to support queer women, talked about how transgender youths have to battle violence and discrimination.

The group said that medical advice should be left to healthcare professionals.

Furthermore, they mentioned that schools shouldn’t interfere with students’ healthcare and medical treatment.

You can read Sayoni’s full post here:

Featured Image: Donal Keane / Shutterstock.com