A trans woman has successfully appealed against her deportation to the United Kingdom on humanitarian grounds.
The 57-year-old was granted residency in New Zealand under "exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature" by the Immigration and Protection Tribunal.
The tribunal found it would be "unjust or unduly harsh" to deport the woman back to the UK, where she experienced frequent abuse including violence, death threats and sexual harassment after coming out as a trans woman.
The woman has struggled with gender identity since she was a child. She attended an all-boys school in the UK which she described as "violent, abusive and extremely traumatic".
She was 42-year-old when she reached a point where she felt she either had to transition to become a woman or commit suicide.
In 2002, a psychologist confirmed to her that she was transsexual and suffering gender identity disorder.
As she prepared to transition by wearing women's clothing, she says she was regarded as a "freak" by her colleagues and eventually felt driven out of the IT company she worked at. She described the culture as "sexist" and "homophobic".
By 2005, she had completed gender reassignment surgery and had her birth certificate reissued.
She told the tribunal she tried to have as little contact with the public as possible after transitioning, but was frequently targeted by strangers who asked her "what are you?" and groped her in public to see if her breasts were real or to check if she had "male characteristics".
At times she was beaten up in the street, had her property damaged and received death threats but "nothing ever came of it" when she reported the incidents to police. She said the incidents often led to severe panic attacks.
The woman's only remaining family members live in New Zealand and Australia and she wanted to remain close to them.
The woman said she hasn't experienced harassment or discrimination while living in New Zealand and said she is "safe, happy, settled and accepted" here.
The tribunal found that the woman has exceptional circumstances because of her history of abuse, trauma and discrimination as a result of her identity, and found that she has no family connections or link to employment in the UK.
The full decision can be found here.
Newshub.
