On Thursday (14 Jan), an aggrieved transgender student took to Reddit to air her grievances and levelled some rather serious allegations at the Ministry of Education (MOE).
In a post on the SGExams Reddit page, the students said she’s a “male-to-female” transgender girl who had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
The pre-university student said she was supposed to undergo hormone therapy as part of her treatment, but was stopped from doing so by the MOE.
Now, the ministry has responded.
MOE Responds to Allegations That They Denied Transgender JC Student from Receiving Hormone Treatment
In a Facebook post on Saturday (16 Jan), the ministry denied blocking the transgender student from receiving hormone therapy.
“MOE is aware of the Reddit post which claimed that MOE had interfered with a student’s hormonal treatment”.
“This is not true”, the ministry asserted.
MOE also chose to refer to the student with the male pronoun in their post.
“We invite the student to approach the school to clarify and discuss how the school can support his schooling better”, MOE said.
“MOE and schools work closely with and respect the professional advice given by MOH’s healthcare professionals. We are not in a position to interfere with any medical treatment, which is a matter for the family to decide on.”
The ministry added that all schools have a duty of care to students and will work closely with parents and medical professionals.
“We encourage students who experience unkind behaviour from peers to approach the teachers or school leaders as they are committed to keep students safe,” it said.
You can view the post here:
What Happened
In 2019, the student was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, which is the psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity.
The next year, when the student started her pre-university education at a junior college, she informed MOE of her diagnosis through the school.
According to the student, the ministry’s reply was: “This is a new issue and we would like to work with you to learn more about it.”
The student said she had her parents’ consent to seek treatment and an agreement with her doctor that she would only start hormone therapy when she turned 18.
Her classmates and teachers were supportive of her and everything seemed to be going well.
In August, when the girl had turned 18, she went to see her doctor again, and was shocked at what she was told.
“The request (for treatment) was suddenly blocked as the MOE had intervened, apparently for the reason ‘students in MOE schools are under our control, and we have every right and say over their treatment’.”
“This meant that my doctor had to call off the referral, causing me further mental trauma as this affected my ability to pass and present as a female,” the student said.
The student claimed she was also asked to cut her hair to fit the boys’ hairstyle in the handbook and to wear the male uniform.
She was also allegedly told that if she was unable to fit into the boys’ uniform after getting hormone therapy, she would be expelled from her school.
“The principal’s explanation for this was that ‘due to your presentation, you would be as disruptive to the school environment as a student with severe autism’.”
Student Responds to MOE’s Post
The student has since posted an update on her post, responding to MOE’s denial over blocking her hormone therapy.
“That is an outright lie, contradicts what I was told by my doctor, and I am sure my classmates can vouch for me,” the student avowed.
“In addition, they do not respect my pronouns and instead intentionally misgendered me,” she said.
The student said she might drop out of school and apply to a polytechnic if the issue can’t be resolved, as there are fewer restrictions on hair length and attire there.
Featured Image: Donal Keane / Shutterstock.com
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