06 January 2023 , 15:52
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A dad has legally changed his gender in a baffling bid to give him a better chance of gaining custody of his two daughters.
René Salinas Ramos claims he took the decision because the justice system in his country typically benefits mothers in such cases.
The 47-year-old said: “Being a father in this country, Ecuador, is punished and I’m only seen as a provider."
The dad-of-two said his gender change was not because of his sexuality, but just because of what he sees as a biased judicial system.
“I am very sure of my sexuality,” René added.
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"What I have been looking for is to give the love and protection that a mother can give her children.”
René is embroiled in a custody battle with his ex-partner over their two daughters in Azuay Province.
He said he hasn't seen his eldest daughter for 18 months.
René with one of his daughters (Jam Press)To give himself a better chance of gaining custody, he decided to change his gender at the Civil Registry office.
He added “The law is taking away our right to be parents. It is a proof of love.”
He added: “Until this matter is resolved, they have to stay with their mother.”
René’s stance has angered many trans activists in the country who fought to have the law changed to allow citizens to change their gender.
A spokesperson for the Ecuadorian Federation of LGBT+ Organisations called it a “private matter” and not in the “spirit of the law”.
The custody battle continues.
The case has angered many LGBT activists in Ecuador (Getty Images)Last month, a transgender woman became the first to be executed in the US despite having suffered brain damage as a child after she was stun-gunned by her adoptive dad.
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Amber McLaughlin, 49, was convicted of killing and raping Beverly Guenther on November 20, 2003, in St. Louis County, Missouri, US.
She has now begged Republican Governor Mike Parson to spare her from being executed citing mental health issues and a troubled childhood.
According to a letter sent to Parson her foster parent rubbed faeces in her face when she was a toddler and her adoptive father tased her.
She tried to kill herself multiple times, both as a child and as an adult.
McLaughlin’s lawyers cited her traumatic childhood and mental health issues, which the jury never heard, in the clemency petition.
According to the anti-execution Death Penalty Information Center, there is no known case of an openly transgender inmate being executed in the US before.