Ecuador recognizes gender identity in the identification document
Ecuador's National Assembly passed a law with 77 votes in favor out of 100 assembly members present, namely the Organic Law of the National Identity and Civil Data Management Service, which, among other advances, will enable persons of legal age - 18 years - change their sex in their identity documents.
Adital
Diane Rodriguez, Ecuadorian Federation national president of LGBT Organizations [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender], claims that this law and right, which today represents a meaningful pathway to all people, regardless of whether they are heterosexual or part of the gay or lesbian groups, and benefits, in particular, trans and intersex people.
Unlike other laws that recognize trans people by their gender (Argentina, Italy, Denmark, etc.), or creating a third gender (Australia, India, Nepal), Ecuador has established itself as the first country in world, recognizing the sex of the people from their birth (biological and chromosomal characters, which do not change by any surgical or hormonal intervention) and gender, from the perception of feeling male or female.
In 2013, several LGBT organizations such as the Silueta X Association, managed to generate Law Nr. 21525 passed by the government of President Rafael Correa, to recognize the "de facto unions" for gay people, which generate the same rights as marriage, in 2014.
And now, the recognition of the gender identity of trans and intersex persons in 2015. Not to mention the mention of sexual orientation and gender identity in the organic laws and advances of rights in the areas of health and justice.
Source: Adital
Translated by Ekaterina Santos
Portuguese version of Pravda.Ru
Edited by
Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
Director and Chief Editor
Portuguese version of Pravda.Ru
Editorial note: Ecuador joins many other nations and Governments in recognizing the rights of Persons, whether they be LGBT or otherwise. The bottom line these days is the concentration on the rights of the person, as a legal entity, as a birthright, to be respected in her/his integrity, meaning inviolability of the person physically or psychologically. This means the right to choose sexuality or sexual orientation, manifesting the character through whatever legal means. This right is enshrined in the constitutions of many States, such as the Constitution of the Russian Federation. However there are many others where it is illegal to be homosexual or practice homosexual acts, where transsexuals or transvestites are ridiculed in public, liable to prosecution and in some cases, death.
Perhaps when we can be more tolerant as societies, we can expect more tolerance at the level of nations, which means tolerance for sexual expression alongside religious option, gender rights, gender equality and women's empowerment.
It is perfectly ridiculous that members of our senior citizen community are expressing their desire to leave this planet because they cannot see any reason to remain on it. It is for these people that I will dedicate 2016. Let us collectively make this planet a better place, and this starts with Tolerance.
Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
Pravda.Ru
(timothy.hinchey@gmail.com)
*Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey has worked as a correspondent, journalist, deputy editor, editor, chief editor, director, project manager, executive director, partner and owner of printed and online daily, weekly, monthly and yearly publications, TV stations and media groups printed, aired and distributed in Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Portugal, Mozambique and São Tomé and Principe Isles; the Russian Foreign Ministry publication Dialog and the Cuban Foreign Ministry Official Publications. He has spent the last two decades in humanitarian projects, connecting communities, working to document and catalog disappearing languages, cultures, traditions, working to network with the LGBT communities helping to set up shelters for abused or frightened victims and as Media Partner with UN Women, working to foster the UN Women project to fight against gender violence and to strive for an end to sexism, racism and homophobia. A Vegan, he is also a Media Partner of Humane Society International, fighting for animal rights. He is Director and Chief Editor of the Portuguese version of Pravda.Ru.