Judge in Muslim-majority country defends decision to legally acknowledge trans woman
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/08/judge-in-muslim-majority-country-defends-decision-to-legally-acknowledge-trans-woman/ 🔗Greg Owen (30 Aug 2026)
A judge in the Middle Eastern country of Lebanon is defending his decision to grant a transgender woman's petition for an administrative change in civil records acknowledging that she is a woman.
"I acted legally and according to my conscience," the judge told Beirut-based news outlet Al-Modon.
The case of the transgender woman, referred to as R.D. in local news reports, was adjudicated by Wassim Zahr al-Din, a civil judge responsible for personal status cases in an area of war-torn southern Lebanon.
Judge Zahr al-Din ordered the name and sex of R. D. to be amended in Lebanon's civil status records last month. The judge said he based his ruling on impartial medical and psychological reports and current law governing civil status records.
Lebanon has no laws or policies acknowledging sex marker or gender identity changes.
Zahr al-Din said that keeping R. D. registered as male no longer reflected her personal circumstances for legal purposes and exposed her to embarrassment and discrimination.
According to court filings, R. D. was assigned male at birth but has lived as female since childhood.--------------------------------------------------
@Sarah B
