[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtEMrX9p5cs?wmode=transparent] Currently in Sweden, those that want to "officially change their sex with the government must be be sterilized first. The law also forbids the freezing of sperm or eggs before corrective surgery, which effectively means transgender Swedes are barred from having biological children." Sweden is not alone in this type of legislation. Swedish transgender actress Aleksa Lundberg is in the process of fighting against what Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has called a "dark chapter in Swedish history." To read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/02/transgender-forced-sterilization_n_1071328.html With a letter from their doctor, transgendered Australians now have an option beyond "male" and "female as a category on their passports. The new option "X" is seen as a step "aimed at removing discrimination." While this new measure will not be applied to birth certificates, Australian senator Louise Pratt has been quoted in regards to the increased ease of travel this will signify for transgendered Australians, "There have been very many cases of people being detained at airports by immigration in foreign countries simply because their passports don't reflect what they look like."
To read more: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/down-under/transgender-australian-passport-x
Check out the following footage on Global Post "The Bonds of Sisterhood: Finding Strength and Acceptance in South Africa" by Christine Detz, which is a quick highlighting of the story of three transgendered wine workers in South Africa from the documentary "The Sisterhood" directed by Roger Horn: http://www.globalpost.com/video/5676900