Decisions on use of hormonal therapy rest with clinicians and their patients: MOE, IMH

SINGAPORE —  The Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) on Thursday (Jan 21) made clear that the final medical treatment decisions involving the use of hormonal therapy rest with clinicians and their patients.

This was in relation to a recent case of a transgender student who wanted to undergo such a therapy.

In a joint statement, which was sent to the media, MOE and IMH said that in treating individuals who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria, IMH clinicians will typically seek input from a wide range of stakeholders. The condition refers to the psychological discomfort or distress experienced by an individual who believes that there is a mismatch between his or her sex and gender identity. 

They added that such treatments also require the written consent from parents where minors are concerned.

On Jan 14, a junior college student wrote a post on online forum Reddit, alleging that she had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and that MOE had interfered with her decision to go on hormone replacement therapy.

In a Facebook post two days later, MOE said that it was aware of the Reddit post and that the account was not true.

Mr Leow Yangfa, executive director of Oogachaga, a non-profit, community organisation working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in Singapore since 1999, wrote in a letter to TODAY on Jan 18 that the experience reported by the student is not unique.

“Even with the full support of parents and the evidence-based assessment provided by doctors, such students often report that they are not allowed by school authorities to present themselves in their gender identity. They are often pressured to delay their treatment until after they have left their respective schools,” he wrote.

In their statement on Thursday, MOE and IMH urged all parties to “respect the privacy of the family, so that the parents can have the space to decide what is in their child’s best interest”.

MOE added that it will work with the student’s parents and the medical professionals at IMH “to support the student's education journey and well-being”.

The ministry and IMH said that in this case, the school is “committed to providing the education support the student needs to graduate, including via home-based learning”.

“Within the school setting, the schools work closely with IMH and the parents to support these students, and to maintain a conducive learning environment,” they added.