Zi Faámelu: Trans woman says Ukraine won't let her leave as her passport says 'male'
A transgender woman living in Ukraine is reportedly unable to get out of the war-torn nation and has highlighted the roadblocks faced by the LGBTQ community amid the Russian invasion.
Speaking to CBS News, Zi Faámelu, 31, revealed that her passport says "male" and "there's no way Ukrainian border people can let me through. There's no way." A humanitarian crisis has unfolded in Ukraine following the Russian invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin. The United Nation's refugee agency UNHCR confirmed that more than 520,000 refugees have entered neighboring countries since last Thursday, February 24, noting that “this figure has been rising exponentially, hour after hour.” Trans people, however, are facing difficulties making those journeys.
RELATED ARTICLES
FULL TEXT of Zelenskyy's HEROIC speech to EU that brought members to their feet with emotion
Last week, the Ukraine State Border Guard Service reportedly announced that men aged 18 to 60 were prohibited from leaving the country. According to LGBTQNation, Faámelu may not be granted entry into a neighboring country because of the mismatch between her legal sex and her lived gender. "This is not a very rainbow-friendly place. ... Lives for trans people are very bleak here," Faámelu told CBS News. "If you have a male gender in your passport, they will not let you go abroad. They will not let you through."
While the LGBTQ community has become more accepted over the years, transgender people are still facing several societal hurdles. Human rights groups have advised some trans people to "lose their ID" in order to get out of Ukraine. According to trans advocates, this issue has led to "hundreds" of trans people in Ukraine being left in "serious danger" and feeling "completely alone," Vice News reported.
“I'm completely alone now,” says Zi Faámelu, a trans woman from Kyiv. “Everybody in my neighborhood has left. It’s such a dangerous situation, but I'm trying to stay optimistic.” pic.twitter.com/dQUCfStmoM
— VICE News (@VICENews) March 2, 2022
Meanwhile, it's not easy for transgender Ukrainians to obtain updated passports. According to Human Rights Watch, they are likely still required to undergo psychiatric observation and gender-affirming surgery in order to update their official documents. “I don’t want to go through that. This is like, humiliating for the world…. I decided to keep my passport, keep male in my passport, and now I cannot leave this country,” Faámelu told CBS News. “[It’s] a war within a war, truly.”
Faámelu is reportedly running out of food and hasn't left her Kyiv home for days. "A few hours ago I heard bombings and my windows were shaking. ... I'm literally scared for my life," Faámelu added. She told the network that transphobia was quite prominent in the city and neighboring countries and that attempting to leave Ukraine could increase the chances of her being treated violently. "Many people have guns and weapons. ... It can be an excuse for violence," Faámelu told the outlet. "This is a very scary situation," she added.
Faámelu was a popular contestant on the Ukrainian competition show 'Star Factory', per CBS News. She told the network that her parents -- who live in Crimea -- were adding to the difficulty by refusing to believe Russia had invaded Ukraine. "They are literally brainwashed," Faámelu said. "The world sees the picture, but they are simply blind in this case. My parents think it's all fake, that we bomb ourselves, that we try to create some drama."