An Ecuadorian man has changed his gender from male to female to help him win custody of his daughters due what he claims is his country’s unfair policy of favoring mothers in custody disputes.
René Salinas Ramos, 47, claims that his daughters’ mother is abusive and that he hasn’t seen his children in five months.
“My actions are not against anyone in particular, but against the system,” Salinas Ramos told local outlet La Voz del Tomebamba. (RELATED: Texas Supreme Court To Take Up Case Of Father Who May Lose Custody For Saying His Child Is Not Transgender)
“Being a father in this country, Ecuador, is punished and seen only as a provider,” he continued. He also reportedly La Voz del Tomebamba his new ID card, which identifies him as a woman.
Ciudadano ecuatoriano cambió su género a femenino para luchar por la custodia de sus hijas. “Mi actuar no es contra nadie en particular, sino contra el sistema”, dijo Rene Salinas, quien renunció a su género masculino en el Registro Civil de Cuenca.
🎥: https://t.co/VjHyzCLGbp 👀 pic.twitter.com/Jg2ZLENYS8— La Voz del Tomebamba (@tomebamba) December 30, 2022
Ecuadorian law states that when no agreement is reached, the mother receives full custody of the children with limited exceptions. Legally changing one’s gender has been legal in Ecuador since 2015, according to Vice.
“Now I am also a mom. That’s how I consider myself. I am very sure of my sexuality. What I have sought is to give the love and protection that a mother can give her children,” the father told media. “Now that I am a woman, I can be a mother and I am on equal footing to fight for the parental authority of my daughters.”
Salinas Romas called his gender change, “the great proof of love that he can give to his daughters.”