On Sept. 13, Human Rights Watch issued
a critical report about the policies of the Netherlands regarding
transgender people. The Dutch government is refusing to officially
recognize their transgender citizens’ new genders until they have
undergone sex change surgery and sterilization.
The elites of the Netherlands have
worked hard to give the country a veneer of tolerance and rights for
ethnic and sexual minorities, but the criticism by Human Rights Watch
exposes the intolerant reality in the country.
Despite claims by lawmakers that they
will amend these laws, the process could take years.
The rights organization said that the
requirement for surgery and sterilization before recognition should
be removed immediately, because it “causes anguish for transgender
people who have not had the required surgery.”
“Their documents do not match their
deeply felt gender identity,” said Boris Dittrich of Human Rights
Watch. “This leads to frequent public humiliation, vulnerability to
discrimination, and great difficulty finding or holding a job.”
