Transgender activist Henry Edward Tse gets new ID card with gender markers changed

A transgender activist who fought for years to change the gender on his identity card finally collected the new document on Monday, a moment he described as “significant “ to him and people like him.

Henry Edward Tse, a 33-year-old transgender man, launched legal action seven years ago when the Immigration Department rejected his request to change the gender on his HKID cards from female to male.

Tse was born female but suffered gender dysphoria and eventually underwent part of a sex-reassignment surgery to remove his breasts.

The commissioner of registration previously said Tse’s application was turned down because he had not received the full surgery, which involves a highly invasive procedure to remove the uterus and ovaries and construct an artificial penis.

In a landmark decision, the Court of Final Appeal in February last year ruled in favor of Tse and another litigant, saying that the Immigration Department breached the rights of two transgender men by preventing them from amending their Hong Kong ID cards.

Read more: Landmark win for transgender pair

Speaking to the press outside the Wan Chai Immigration Tower, where he obtained his new ID this morning, Tse said the new ID card holds significant meaning for him and his supporters. He said it resolved all the embarrassing moments and life problems caused by the incorrect identification.

He also noted that today marks the end of a seven-year “judicial marathon,” and he could “finally breathe a sigh of relief.”

However, Tse said that despite the current Immigration Department policies being in line with the court judgment, many unfair treatments and human rights issues still need to be addressed.