Ukrainian tries to Corporal Klinger his way out of Ukraine. Border guards will have none of that.

Judis, a trans woman who was prevented from crossing into Poland by Ukrainian border guards. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian

The Guardian has interviewed a guy who is transgender, which is to say he’s living as a woman ala Rachel Levine and Lia Thomas, and because of his male genitalia was turned away from fleeing into Poland (who is only allowing women, children, and the infirm to cross for asylum). Here’s the report;

Judis is a transgender woman whose birth certificate defines her as female.

Legally, there is no reason why she should not be allowed to pass with the thousands of women who are crossing Ukrainian borders to safety every day.

Yet, on 12 March at about 4am, after a long and humiliating search, border guards determined she was a man and prevented her passage into Poland.

When Ukraine imposed martial law on 24 February, all men aged between 18 and 60 were banned from leaving the country. Since then, it is estimated that hundreds of Ukrainian trans people have attempted to cross the border. The Guardian has been told by activists and aid workers that, despite their legal status as women, dozens have been mistreated and pushed back at the borders, with many fearing for their lives in the event that Russia’s transphobic regime takes over.

…

But as soon as Judis arrived at the border crossing last week, two guards stopped her and asked her to follow them to a room beside the customs office, where they physically examined her.

“Afterwards, one of the guards said, ‘you’re a guy, so get the hell out of here’, and told me I should be grateful they didn’t call the police, even though I have a legally valid document that states I am female.

“‘Go to the war’, they replied, adding that more than 3 million people had already fled the country and they weren’t going to let me out.”

Alice, 24, a trans woman from Brovary, a town near Kyiv, recounted a similar experience. She and her wife, Helen, a 21-year-old who identifies as non-binary, were stopped by border guards during an attempt to cross into Poland.

“They took us to a building near the border crossing,” recounts Alice. “There were three officers in the room. They told us to take off our jackets. They checked our hands, arms, checked my neck to see if I had an Adam’s apple. They touched my breasts. After examining us, border guards told us we were men. We tried to explain our situation but they didn’t care.”

…

“I want to be free to do what I want in life,” says Judis. “I will try again to cross the border because it’s my right to leave and to live. And I will not remain silent. I will not be held prisoner.”

If only he/she/it would fight as hard for her country instead of against it.

Category: Feel Good Stories, Ukraine