Transgender activism in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

ABSTRACT

Although the lives of LGBT people in Central Asia have recently received scholarly attention, authors do not pay due attention to transgender (trans) issues. This paper explores living conditions of trans people in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as trans organizing in these countries. Semi-structured interviews with 11 trans activists were conducted in March–April 2022. According to the respondents, trans people in Central Asia face pervasive discrimination, harassment and rejection on behalf of society at large and their families. Many live in a desperate economic situation. Access to legal gender recognition aimed to align the person’s legal gender with their gender identity is limited; the process requires psychiatric evaluation, medical interventions and/or going to courts. A limited number of doctors can provide transition-related medical care (hormone replacement therapy, surgeries). Trans activists self-organize to address these issues and promote trans rights in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Their areas of work include providing direct support, educating doctors, and conducting advocacy with state institutions and international actors. The political environment is hostile towards trans activism. Organizations face problems receiving official registration; in Tajikistan, state pressure on civil society is especially severe. Anti-gender movements are another obstacle for trans activists. Political instability often disrupts activists’ advocacy efforts.

KEYWORDS:

• transgender
• transsexual
• gender
• LGBT
• social movements

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 ‘Regulation of the process of amendment, restoration and revocation of records of acts of civil status in Republic of Kazakhstan’, of 22 May 1999, No. 620, para. 171.

2 ‘On rules of medical evaluation of individuals with disorders of sex identification’, of 3 June 2003, NO. 435.

3 ‘Rules on the process of registration of acts of civil status in Kyrgyz Republic’, of 13 June 2001, No. 91, ch. 9, para. 1.2(18).

4 ‘On acts of civil status’, of 12 April 2005, No. 60, para. 72.

5 ‘On state registration of acts of civil status’, of 29 April 2006, No. 188, para. 74.