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He was brilliant – trans woman on Home Affairs official

Source: Lauren Hess, News24, 24/08/2015


Pretoria - She`s long been on the receiving end of prejudice and
ignorance but on Monday Juanita van Zyl came one step closer to
realising her female self.


Van Zyl is a transgender woman who was misgendered and denied by Home
Affairs staff the right to change her gender information on her
identity document.


But after Home Affairs officials saw News24`s reports on the incident,
Benjamin Khoza, a director in one of the department`s call centres got
in touch with Van Zyl and went to her office to personally put through
her application.


"He was brilliant," an ecstatic Van Zyl exclaimed.


This was in stark contrast to her earlier treatment by Home Affairs
staff.


Last Wednesday, she went to the branch in Centurion. Not only was she
incorrectly referred to as "sir", even though she presented herself as
a woman, she was also told by an official that her medical reports did
not have a stamp from her doctor.


Officials then asked her four times in front of other members of the
public about her gender change, an experience Van Zyl described as
humiliating.


But Khoza told Van Zyl that he couldn`t believe she was refused help
and said the medical reports she submitted had all the necessary
information.


She also told Khoza she was willing to speak to the department`s staff
to help them better understand trans persons.


"We`re human. We`re not a threat," she said.


"This [application for ID gender change] doesn`t mean my battle is
over but it's a hurdle I just stepped over."


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