after undergoing SRS. The Ministry of Public Security in 2008 issued an official reply
to a question submitted by Shangdong Province Public Security Bureau to a request
for “Instructions requested on how citizens can change the gender on their Hukou
registration document after undergoing SRS abroad”. As the reply was by the Ministry
of Public Security it can be considered as a national regulation, and the response details
a set of requirements to implement the bureaucratic process of gender marker change
on household registration permits. Part of the process includes the requirement of a
gender authentication certificate issued by a third class hospital, a notarization from a
notarizing department, and/or a certificate from a judicial department agreeing to the
gender identity change on the document. 230
In Guangdong Province, for example, in addition to the PSB’s requirements, the
provincial authorities also require a certificate showing that the personnel department
of the person’s workplace, organization, school, enterprise or other unit has approved
the alteration of the person’s gender marker.231 This necessitates that the person must
notify his or her place of employment or education and obtain consent and approval
before being authorized to legally change the gender marker on the documents.
ID and household registration documents are issued under the jurisdiction of local
public security organs, and so the alteration, examination and approval of gender
on documents also falls under their domain.232 All of the transgender sex workers
interviewed for this report had chosen to live hidden in cities far from their hometowns,
where they can live more freely as their chosen gender among strangers. However, in
order to change ID and household registration documents, they would need to return
to their home town, risking exposure to old acquaintances and family. This is a major
deterrent for people to engage in the process to change the gender marker on their
documents, notwithstanding the obstacles also posed by SRS.
Alteration of student rolls and academic records
Although at a lower level, there are policies to follow for the alteration of gender on
hukou and ID cards, there are no unified regulations for altering gender on school
rolls or academic records. School records acknowledge a student’s enrollment at the
school233 and are managed by colleges and universities. If a student changes their
230 Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China. “Reply to Questions Regarding the Alteration of Gender on Hukou Certificates for
Citizens Who Have Undergone Surgical Sex Change.” [中华人民共和国公安部关于公民手术变性后变更户口登记性别项目有关问题的批复]. October
23, 2008.
231 Guangdong Provincial Public Security Bureau. “The Alteration of Gender on Hukou Certificates for Citizens Who Have Undergone Surgical Sex
Change,” August 22,2011. http://zwgk.gd.gov.cn/006940140/201108/t20110822_267369.html (accessed November 11, 2014).
232 Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China. “Reply to Questions Regarding the Alteration of Gender on Hukou Certificates for
Citizens Who Have Undergone Surgical Sex Change.”
233 China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center, “Frequently asked questions regarding the online registry of educational
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