“Is this me?” – This is a question that transgender people are compelled to ask themselves when they look in a mirror and feel a mismatch between their bodies and gender identities. For some transmen, an end to periods and a flattened chest may be sufficient to allay the sense of mismatch; for others, there is no alternative to a complete sex reassignment surgery.
Linus has been using hormones and has also gone through top surgery. Out of concerns about its outcomes and the worries of his family, he has decided not to have bottom surgery. As a result, he cannot change the gender marker on his ID card, and it makes him nervous whenever he is asked to show his ID. While the Court of Final Appeal suggested in 2013 that Hong Kong should introduce a comprehensive gender recognition scheme, no concrete plans have been announced to this day. If legislative change is unlikely, Linus personally wouldn’t mind the “Gender X” marker which has been adopted by quite a number of overseas government. He believes that it would help to raise awareness of the needs of the transgender community and remove barriers they face on a routine basis.
