Ecuadorian Man Changes Gender To Gain Custody Of His Kids

A father of two in Ecuador He has legally changed his gender to obtain more favorable treatment from the court. his custody case.

René Salinas Ramos, 47, is now listed as female on official documents in his native Ecuador — despite the fact he still identifies as a cisgender male in his everyday life.

The Dad claimed that he made the decision to be a desperate dad because of the justice system in the country, which he said usually benefits mothers in custody cases.

“Being a father in this country, Ecuador, is punished and I’m only seen as a provider,” Ramos Tell your local outlet La Voz del Tomebamba. “What I have been looking for is to give the love and protection that a mother can give her children.”…

“The laws say that the one who has the right is the woman. As of this moment, I am female. Now I’m also a mom, that’s how I consider myself,” Ramos told media assembled The city of Cuenca’s Civil Registry Office on Dec. 30. “I am very sure of my sexuality. What I have sought is that I want to be a mother, so that I can also give the love and protection of a mother.”

But A transgender activist and ex-lawmaker is not happy about the decision.

“This man’s private matter, to obtain custody of his daughters, isn’t the spirit of the law,” Diane Rodríguez, one Of Ecuador’s most prominent trans activists and the national director of the Ecuadorian Federation of Organizations VICE spoke to LGBTI World News.

Rodríguez, who became Ecuador’s first trans Assembly person, from 2018 to 2021, and also helped spearhead 2015 law, said that she understood the law so a judge wouldn’t give custody because of a change in gender “because it does not make sense that you have changed your gender in the identity document without being a trans person, only with the objective of taking advantage to obtain custody.”

The This concept seemed so crazy at first Rodríguez admitted that when she saw it in the local press, she thought it was “fake news.” But Realizing that the man had actually legally changed his gender, the Ecuadorian Federation Of Organizations LGBTI released a statement Denouncing the change Tuesday.

That Statement continues for 11 points, arguing the obvious, Ramos isn’t trans:

…it is important to make it clear that the objective of this cisgender man is to have an advantage over other people, for the parental authority of his children.

Justice Operators must be clear about what the objective of this cisgender male is, given the decision they make. When The law was made in the context of the above and under the criteria for the common good. It was not made for the benefit of particular facts.

…We It is important to reiterate that the cisgender man said that taking advantage of others for parental authority was a violation of his rights, which must be reviewed and reaffirmed by justice operators.

Granted Ramos isn’t trans, meaning he doesn’t present himself as female, but apparently the law doesn’t say he has to do that. IndeedThese activists would probably be upset if someone was rejected for not looking like the sex they want on documents.

The The real problem is that Ramos He says he doesn’t intend to be transgender. But Do you think it matters? If You can change your gender on your documents if you feel the same way. Why not? Ramos Be excluded He doesn’t feel feminine but he does say “now I am also a mom, that’s how I consider myself.” He added, “I can also give the love and protection of a mother.” So in his own limited way he is fighting a gender stereotype about dads and moms and trying to switch how he’s perceived from masculine to feminine. In other words, his reasons for the change may differ but he does have reasons that aren’t about mocking the law itself. I find myself thinking that if these activists were a bit smarter they’d welcome Ramos Use his example to support the idea that gender can be malleable, rather than trying to exclude him. But, hey, it’s not my battle.

Here’s a brief clip (in Spanish) where Ramos He shows the change in his gender in his documents.

Ciudadano ecuatoriano cambió su género a femenino para luchar por la custodia de sus hijas. “Mi actuar no es contra nadie en particular, sino contra el sistema”, dijo Rene Salinas, quien renunció a su género masculino en el Registro Civil de Cuenca.
🎥: https://t.co/VjHyzCLGbp 👀 pic.twitter.com/Jg2ZLENYS8

— La Voz del Tomebamba (@tomebamba) December 30, 2022