Small Luk is the first

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical b ...

person to openly acknowledge her biological sex characteristics in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. She was born with

partial androgen insensitivity syndrome Partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (PAIS) is a condition that results in the partial inability of the cell to respond to androgens. It is an X linked recessive condition. The partial unresponsiveness of the cell to the presence of androgenic ...

. Luk lived as a male for 36 years, and now lives as a woman. She founded the organization "Beyond Boundaries – Knowing and Concerns Intersex" in 2011, which is concerned with, and strives for, the rights of

people.

Background

Small Luk was the first child of her family. When Luk was born, the doctor found that she was intersex, with organs resembling testicles and a penis. Luk was deemed male and underwent more than 20 operations between the ages of 8 and 13 to construct a

urethra The urethra (from Greek οὐρήθρα – ''ourḗthrā'') is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus for the removal of urine from the body of both females and males. In human females and other primates, the urethra c ...

– the duct that conducts urine from the bladder. When she was 12, the surgery failed. Luk found the surgery too unbearable and attempted suicide several times. News records state that Luk was the only surviving person among the seven people who were operated on as children at Hong Kong's

Kwong Wah Hospital Kwong Wah Hospital is a 1,141-bed Charitable district general hospital in Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong. Located on 25 Waterloo Road, the hospital was founded by the Tung Wah Group in 1911, and managed by the Hospital Authority since 1991. It provide ...

in the 1970s to "fix" their anatomies. After surgery at the age of 13, Luk refused further genital reconstruction. During adolescence, Luk developed breasts, suffered stomach cramps and saw blood in her urine. Doctors explained that her body did not respond to

androgen An androgen (from Greek ''andr-'', the stem of the word meaning "man") is any natural or synthetic steroid hormone that regulates the development and maintenance of male characteristics in vertebrates by binding to androgen receptors. This in ...

. Luk eventually underwent surgery to remove her male

genitalia A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, ...

, and now lives as a woman. Apart from the surgical pain, Luk also suffered from bullying. Luk was at the receiving end of discrimination from classmates and teachers.

Education

Despite the past, Luk has completed her education, earning degrees in

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

and

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logica ...

, as well as a master's in gender studies at

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university a ...

. She now runs a holistic treatment clinic in Hong Kong.

Advocacy

Small Luk founded the organization "Beyond Borders– knowing and concerns intersex" in 2011, and it has been working to spread awareness about intersex people. The aims of the organization are to raise public awareness about intersex people and promote the rights of intersex people, including ending forced genital normalising surgery and conversion therapies. Luk urges the Hong Kong government to educate the public about intersex conditions, extend

anti-discrimination laws Anti-discrimination law or non-discrimination law refers to legislation designed to prevent discrimination against particular groups of people; these groups are often referred to as protected groups or protected classes. Anti-discrimination laws ...

to cover intersex people and stop foisting surgery on intersex children without consulting them. Luk has been invited to various international and local events, including the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

meeting in Thailand, to speak on the issue of intersex people and their rights. In 2018, she participated in the forum where NGO Intersex Asia was founded.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Luk, Small 1966 births Living people Hong Kong activists Hong Kong women activists Intersex rights activists Intersex rights in China Intersex rights in Taiwan Intersex women Transgender women Women civil rights activists