Transgender Rights, Gangetic Dolphins

News Bites

Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's New Bites! I'm Paz Bueno. And I'm Brody Halverson. Today's stories… A transgender man wins a landmark court case, dolphins are returning to India, and…if you could have a secret passage out of your room, where would it lead? Let's check it out. ________________________________ 無需手術更改性別證件 Nemo's Big Win: Changing ID Without Surgery! Sex (生理性別) is the biological difference between males and females. It's about our bodies and physical features. 它是關於我們的身體和外觀特徵。 Gender (社會學的性別), on the other hand, is about how we identify ourselves (如何辨識自己). It's about how we feel inside and how we express ourselves. 它是關於我們內心的感受和表達方式。 Understanding the difference between sex and gender is very important for gender equity (性別平等). Gender equity means that everyone, no matter if they are male, female, or transgender (跨性別者), has the same rights and opportunities. Nemo, a transgender person, has won a landmark court case in Taiwan. 跨性別者Nemo在台灣贏得了一場重大的法律案件。 Nemo is the first person in Taiwan to change the gender on their ID card without having surgery. Nemo是台灣第一個在沒有接受手術的情況下，成功更改身份證上性別的人。 Normally, transgender people must have surgery (手術) and get a doctor's approval (獲得醫生的批准) to change their gender on their ID cards. But Nemo had some health problems and couldn't have the surgery. When he asked to change his gender on his ID card without surgery, the household registration office (戶政事務所) said no. So, Nemo took the case to court. And the court agreed with Nemo! They said making transgender people have surgery to change their gender is unfair (不公平). It can hurt their health and rights. The court said people should be able to decide their gender without having surgery. This is a big win for Nemo and other transgender people in Taiwan. Now, Nemo can proudly say he is a man without hiding anything. The court told the household registration office to change Nemo's gender on his ID card to male. The Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights, a group that helps people like Nemo, is very happy about this decision. They hope this will help more transgender people in the future. They also hope the government will change the rules so that surgery is not needed to change gender on ID cards. Nemo's case is important because it shows that everyone should have the right to choose their gender. It also shows that the law can protect people's rights and dignity (法律可以保護人們的權利和尊嚴). ________________________________ 河中更多的恒河豚！ More Gangetic Dolphins in the River! A recent report by the Wildlife Institute of India says there are now more than 4,000 Gangetic dolphins in the Gangetic River basin. 根據印度野生動物研究所最近的一份報告，恒河流域現在有超過4000隻恒河豚。 Over 2,000 of these dolphins are found in Uttar Pradesh, mainly in the Chambal River (北方邦，在昌巴爾河). This is good news because it means the river's pollution levels are going down (污染水平正在下降)… …and the government's efforts to save these dolphins are working! The Ganges river dolphin (恒河豚), also called the blind dolphin or Ganges susu, has the scientific name Platanista gangetica. These dolphins live in rivers in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. 這些豚生活在印度、尼泊爾和孟加拉的河流中。 They are blind (盲的) and live only in freshwater (淡水). They hunt using sound waves (聲波) to find their prey. Gangetic dolphins are usually alone or in small groups. They need to come to the surface to breathe every 30 to 120 seconds, making a 'susu' sound when they exhale. 牠們每30到120秒需要浮出水面呼吸一次，呼氣時會發出"susu"的聲音。 The number of Gangetic dolphins has gone down because of several threats. Sometimes, they get caught in fishing nets by accident. Some people hunt them for oil used in traditional medicine. Their homes are also being destroyed by development, pollution, and noise from boats. The Indian government is doing many things to protect these dolphins. They are listed under the Wildlife Protection Act, which gives them strong legal protection (法律保護). They were also declared the National Aquatic Animal of India in 2010. 牠們還在2010年被宣佈為印度的國家水生動物。 The government has set up dolphin sanctuaries (保護區), like the Vikramshila Dolphin Sanctuary in Bihar and the Dolphin Sanctuary in the Chambal River. They also started Project Dolphin in 2019 to help double the dolphin population by 2030. The Wildlife Institute of India, established in 1982, plays a big role in training people, doing research, and giving advice on wildlife conservation (野生動物保護). Let's hope the dolphin population in the Gangetic River basin continues to go up! ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites… Nemo, a transgender person, has won a big court case. Nemo is the first person in Taiwan to change the gender on their ID card without having surgery. The court told the household registration office to change Nemo's gender on his ID card to male. Now, Nemo can proudly say he is a man without hiding anything. ________________________________ And, A recent report by the Wildlife Institute of India says there are now more than 4,000 Gangetic dolphins in the Gangetic River basin. This is good news because it means the river's pollution levels are going down… …and the government's efforts to save these dolphins are working! ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit So, Brody, if you could have a secret passage out of your room, where would it lead? If I had a secret passage out of my house, it would lead to the moon! Because it's a place I've never been before. 13-year-old Betty from Jiufenzi Junior High School in Tainan also has a fun idea! …. If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [e-mail], and you might hear it at the end of an episode! We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!