A by human rights group Amnesty International has found that members of the trans community in China are being driven to self-medicate, faced with ongoing intolerance and a growing number of obstacles to gender-affirming treatment.
Speaking to , Amnesty International China researcher Doriane Lau said that interviewees described regular discrimination both at work and home.
According to , one interviewee, known as Huiming, had gotten so desperate that she even attempted gender-affirming surgery on herself.
"She tried putting ice on her male genitals to stop them functioning and even booked a surgery with a black-market doctor, but the doctor was arrested," the report states.
"Convinced that she had no way out, Huiming finally tried performing surgery on herself at home in mid-2016."
Members of the transgender community face strict criteria before qualifying for surgery, with stating people must be older than 20, unmarried and have undergone psychological therapy for a year prior.
Patients must also be able to prove that they've been wanting the surgery for five years "with no history of hesitation."
Additionally, Amnesty International's report found that gender-affirming treatment continues to be categorised as plastic surgery in China, meaning that only those with the financial means are able to pursue it.
