2 Post-Op Trans Passengers Blocked From Entering Egypt Because Their New Looks Don’t Match Their Passports
Two transgender passengers returning to Cairo from Amman, Jordan, were refused entry into the country because their appearance — courtesy some fresh gender reassignment surgery — didn’t match their passports. “Ahmed,” who is MTF, and “Isra’a,” who is FTM, were blocked the Cairo Airport by customs officials after arriving on the same plane. They were deported back to Jordan. [photo via]
Isn’t the point of having a picture on a passport is that it is supposed to resemble and thus be the first opportunity to confirm the person using the passport is in fact that person submitting the passport?
Seems rather convenient to turn this into condemnation of Arab countries and intolerance toward trans genders.
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The King Tut photo didn’t match the Nefertiti person, and vice versa?
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actually it is much more likely that they were denied entry because of the gender listed on the passports. this is simply another example of the rampant institutionalized transphobia that exists in the world. many countries do not allow for gender markers on official documents to be changed until after GRS, at which time your passport no longer reflects who you are… so that you can be denied reentry to the country of your birth (in the States, it works on a state by state basis… but MANY american trans people have been delayed of temporarily denied entry because of this same form of discrimination).
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And they were surprised? Really they should have thought of this themselves. It doesn’t take gender reassignment surgery for a persons photo to not match their current appearance. Your passport photo should be somewhat up to date and these two people should have had the presence of mind to update their passports after their surgery.
If someone had gained 50 pounds since their passport photo were taken, they would also run the risk of being turned away at the airport. As far as I can tell, there is no inherant homo- or transphobia in this case.