PAINFUL LIFE
Transgender persons faced with varied challenges • Transwomen asked about their penises • Arrested at borders, denied access to banks • ‘But some people have two sexes without knowing’
Director of Rainbow Identity Association Skipper Mogapi says it is possible for one to be a transgender without knowing. This is because some people just look at an organ between their legs and conclude that they are either female or male. But they could be wrong! One can have a penis but still have a womb at the same time and only a medical test can reveal all.
And this is why some people always have a hard time accepting transgender women, they start asking ‘but where is his penis? Why is it not showing on their revealing and sexy feminine clothes they wear? He is male, we grew up knowing he is male.’
It is because the person was registered as a male at birth. But such people are not males pretending to be women, they simply chose how they want to be identified. However, to prevent confusion for those who might be transgender without knowing, there are usually signs as one grows especially during puberty that might suggest that they are transgender and there is need to pay special attention to those. For instance, someone who identifies as male might notice small bloody stains on their underwear. They will not know where the blood comes from but it can be possible that they are menstruating. For those identifying as female, they might notice that they are not developing any breasts. They remain flat chested even at the ages of 26 and above, some grow beard and even develop an Adam’s Apple. “Sometimes when they seek medical attention, they are told that it is probably hormonal imbalance. So there is need for one to go an extra mile and find out if they are transgender or not,” Mogapi said. Mogapi shared that many Batswana are still in the dark when it comes to transgender and intersex people. That is why to this day, many people still ridicule, abuse and even discriminate against them. “We are faced with many challenges and I believe the community is confused. It is very hard for transgender and intersex people to go into clinics because they fear being labelled. Some of them self-medicate,” Mogapi said. Mogapi added that when they are admitted in hospitals their Identity cards identify them as either male or female but once the doctor attending to them realises that they are dealing with a transgender or intersex, they pause and consult their colleagues first. “We are not sure why, whether they ask how to go about the issue before them or it comes as shock and they panic.” Mogapi shared that there has been instances where some transgender people are arrested when trying to cross the border because their appearances do not match the sex identity on their passports. “They get asked where they got the passports because they will be appearing like a lady but on the passport as male. Some have not been assisted in banks because of what is written on their Identification Cards, imagine not having access to your money,” Mogapi cried.