Kuwait’s constitutional court has struck down an anti-trans law under the belief it imposed on the “personal freedom” of trans individuals.
The law, more commonly known as Article 198, persecuted trans people for the “imitation of the opposite sex”. However, the court’s new ruling marks a progressive move for the Arab country.
Kuwait’s constitutional court declared the punishment of those whose appearance did not match their presumed gender was “inconsistent with the constitution’s keenness to ensure and preserve personal freedom”.
Previously, transgender people would experience discrimination and were detained at security checkpoints by police after having their gender documentation checked, the New York Times reports.