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Ashlee, the trans student who previously shared on Reddit her experience with the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) allegedly interfering with her hormone replacement therapy (HRT), has made an updated post on the website about what happened in the last weeks after its original publication.
He also responded to the speech delivered by the Minister of Education, Lawrence Wong, in Parliament on questions about the policies and guidelines of the Ministry of Education related to students with gender dysphoria.
In the hope that your post will serve as a reference for the discrimination you experienced as a result of receiving a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a qualified physician who prescribed HRT.
Using a disposable r / SGExams account, Ashlee recalled her difficult experience at school with the MOE allegedly interfering with her HRT treatment in her original post in mid-January.
She wrote: “So when I was about to undergo hormone therapy (a treatment explicitly set out in ICD-10, again, and recommended by the multiple doctors who care for trans patients in Singapore), the request was suddenly blocked when the Ministry of Education had intervened. , apparently for the reason that ‘the students of the schools of the Ministry of Education are under our control, and we have every right and the word about their treatment.’
Ashlee’s story resonated with many Singaporeans and caused a sensation online, sparking a debate about the scope of the MOE, the Ministry’s policies regarding gender identity, and what could be done to help and support Ashlee and others. students in similar positions.
A group of 50 LGBT groups and civil societies issued a statement in solidarity with Ashlee, saying: “We are deeply concerned about the lack of institutional or political regulations that recognize and protect the rights of transgender students in Singapore.”
The groups also called on the Ministry of Education for its handling of the problem and its denial of any involvement in withholding Ashlee’s hormone replacement therapy.
MOE, the “general inconsistency, intentional disregard of the school for proper medical advice and discrimination” continues to be evident in recent weeks: Ashlee
In an update posted to Reddit on Tuesday (February 2), Ashlee said that she and her parents had met with the school administration several times over the past weeks, noting that while the Ministry of Education and schools said that they would work with her, “her is showing me a widespread inconsistency, an intentional disregard for proper medical advice and discrimination.”
“I have not received the level of support that I expected,” he wrote.
Ashlee also reiterated her criticism of the Education Ministry for “blatantly” confusing her in its Facebook post, despite an official memo from her doctor last year, which states her diagnosis of gender dysphoria and preferred pronouns of “she / she / she”.
“As the comment section suggests, this shows little interest in protecting transgender people from discrimination or recognition by professional advice from the medical community,” he reiterated.
The conduct of the Ministry of Education, Ashlee said, suggests that the alleged fact that the Ministry opposes discrimination is “a sham.”
He said that he does not see the Ministry of Education and the school working closely and respecting professional advice as the Ministry claimed to do.
“The MOE publicly encouraged me to speak to the school administration on this issue, which I have explicitly stated that I have for a long time,” Ashlee emphasized.
“It seems to me that they are trying to deny the existence of the meeting between the MOE and the doctor, which happened around July-August of last year, in which the MOE insisted that the schools had to work and consent before any derivation or life. -Decision changes were made, ”he said, adding that his family had already given their consent long before last year.
Regarding her interactions with the school itself, Ashlee said that in the multiple meetings she had with the school administration, the principal had insisted that she intended to “cross-dress at school,” which was not allowed.
“She justified it by saying ‘no discrimination’ and ‘we’ve done a lot to support you,’” Ashlee recounted.
However, Ashlee argued that since she had already been diagnosed by a doctor who explicitly stated that she identifies as a woman, the use of the term “cross-dressing” is “incorrect by definition”, adding that “in this sense I am not just ignorant, but a horribly discriminatory term, unless I was wearing the male uniform. “
The principal of the school rejected the offer to tie the hair according to the dress code of the students, said that ‘women can also have short hair’: Ashlee
In school dress code, Ashlee offered to tie her hair according to the female dress code.
This was also denied by the director.
“Instead, he changed the subject with the excuse of ‘but women can have short hair too,'” Ashlee said.
Ashlee also alleged that the principal denied any discrimination and insisted that allowing her to use the bathroom in a wheelchair was “a lot.”
“This is in addition to being confused by another member of the administration when they sent me off the school complex earlier this year,” he added.
Ashlee also highlighted the change of tone in terms of the threats of expulsion she initially received.
“As this case became public, they changed their tone to ‘we will not expel you for being trans and you will be allowed to do an apprenticeship at home,’ the student said.
Home learning application initially denied due to lack of equity towards other students; the reason now changed to the school being unable to provide resources: Ashlee
However, Ashlee also pointed out that her request to do a homeschooling last November was denied on the grounds that it would not be fair to other students.
That excuse hasn’t changed to “they were overloaded and couldn’t provide me with the resources,” Ashlee remembers what the vice principals said.
“Interestingly, they didn’t mention that it was unfair to other students. How will you ensure that my learning at home is always available with such contradictions? ” she asked.
Flexible home-based learning arrangements can result in loss of science practices, project work, or co-curricular activities: Ashlee
Addressing Minister Wong’s speech in Parliament on Monday, in which he stated that schools can exercise flexibility and work out practical arrangements with students where there are valid medical groups, Ashlee said this version of flexibility has prevented him from returning to the classroom. .
“Flexibility is good, but this version of ‘flexibility’, as far as I’m concerned, means preventing me from going back to the classroom or conference rooms even though I’m physically able to do it, which forces me to do home learning if I want to express my gender identity as professionally diagnosed, ”she said.
“It is my understanding that this is essentially coercing my parents to encourage me to cut children’s hair (sic), present myself as a child and not consent to start hormone therapy, or face the ‘consequence’ of losing my access to adequate and fair meritocratic therapy. education, ”Ashlee emphasized.
All this, he added, is done without leaving him “any resources for the practical practice of scientific practices” as a science student, project work or co-curricular activities.
Such activities, Ashlee said, are not only part of comprehensive education, but “are also beneficial for college admissions in some cases (especially in the most competitive courses).”
The problem at hand is not “culture wars” but “denying proper treatment”: Ashlee
Referring to Wong’s comment on “culture wars”, Ashlee said: “As far as I am concerned, my personal dress conforms to the female dress code and does not affect others in the classroom, much less personally affect life. nobody’s personal. “
“If the Ministry of Education and the school had respected the proper medical advice and scientific research of my doctor, I think this would have ended very differently,” he added.
So the issue at hand, Ashlee said, is not culture, but rather “denying proper treatment, directly or indirectly, medical or educational or otherwise.”
“Why is the Ministry of Education contradicting and denying proper medical advice, treatment, and quality education?” She questioned.
