A Singaporean transgender woman has been granted sanctuary in the UK after two British judges blocked an attempt to deport her back here, where she’ll be required to fulfil the rest of her reservist cycle.
The Guardian reports that the 33-year-old came to the UK as a student in September 2004, after she completed national service as a man in Singapore between December 2001 and June 2004.
If she returned to Singapore, she’d have no choice in the matter of going through reservist obligations, which is said to end only in 2024 — despite living as a woman for the past decade. As she has decided against having the full gender reassignment procedure through surgery — which would effectively exclude her from military service — she would still face calls to serve.
In the UK, she is recognised as a woman. Her Home Office ID card states that her gender is female.
However so, the Home Office pushed forward an attempt to send her back to Singapore, claiming that any discrimination against her would not amount to serious harm.
The woman had stated before that she has recurrent nightmares about her previous military service, and would find it intolerable to be treated as a man. Her barrister also argued that if she was returned back home, she would be punished as a man. Refusal to fulfil national service obligations could land her a 15 month stint in jail and a fine of $10,000.
The case was first heard last November, where the Judge agreed that it would be “unreasonable” to send her back to Singapore, adding that it would be a fundamental breach of her right to a private life and expression of gender identity.
An appeal against the judgement was lodged by the Home Office, but it was rejected this week by a second judge, who ruled in the woman’s favour.
The woman’s solicitors expressed content with the successful resolution.
“It means she can now enjoy living a full life without any compromise to her gender identity or her personal integrity. This is a basic right denied to her in Singapore.”
The Ministry of Defence has not issued a response to the ruling.
