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SCMP Reporter

Young Post: What's the difference  between 'transgender' and 'transsexual'?
Joanne Leung:  Transgender individuals believe their gender at birth  is not a correct or complete description of what they feel.  A transsexual is  someone who has undergone a sex-change operation or would like to have surgery or other treatments so that they will feel comfortable under their new gender. 
YP: When did you know you wanted to be a woman?  
 JL: Many transsexuals feel  they do not relate to  their [biological] gender  from a very young  age but do not fight against it. I first realised this when I was  about 10 years old.  At the time, it was just a thought and I  didn't think about a sex-change  operation.
 YP: Why did you decide to undergo sex-change surgery?
 JL: It's a long story. I went through a lot of struggles and there was a lot of conflict in my mind. Our society does not accept our decision [of a sex change] and it is considered 'abnormal'. But when I  couldn't fight the idea anymore, I decided to have the surgery. 
 YP: How did your friends and family  feel after you had your sex-change operation?
 JL: Most of my friends  accepted it and supported me. Only a few could not understand  my decision and I explained it to them. 
As for my family, my mother was worried  that the  operation would affect my health. 
My sister was fine with my decision but felt a little uncomfortable. After the surgery, they  accepted  my new gender.
 YP: Has your sex change made it difficult for you at work  or  affected your daily life?
 JL: So far, I have not faced any difficulties. I just quit my  job, but my boss and colleagues knew about my sex change and did not  have a problem with it.
 YP: Do you think  transgender and transsexual people are a minority in Hong Kong?
 JL: Yes, definitely. It's hard to estimate  how many there are because they don't go public,  but it's a very small number. Compared to  homosexuals,  we are even more of a minority. Our voices had been  rarely heard until W's case  was exposed. 
 YP: Do you want  society to learn about transsexuals? How should it be done?
 JL: The  aim of ILGA is to educate the public about who we are. We have been working hard on this over the past few years. We hope to slowly cultivate an unbiased perception of transgender and transsexual people through the media. In the near future, we  hope to share our experiences with secondary school students.  Also, we would like to  help transsexuals to feel comfortable  about their new  identity.



Up close with Joanne Leung Wing-yan, a transsexual