Heart warming: 74-year-old teacher and his special school

He Xingwu teaches students with sign language at a special school in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, Sept. 13, 2017.

The 74-year-old teacher He Xingwu has worked in the special school for 23 years. He lost hearing at the age of eight due to the improper use of drugs.

In 1994, He and his friend founded the school after his retirement. More than 300 hearing-and-speaking-impaired students have graduated from the school.

(Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)

(Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)

(Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)

(Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)

(Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)

(Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)

(Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)

(Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s highest court on Tuesday ruled to dismiss part of a law requiring people to undergo gender-affirmation surgery, including sterilization, in order to officially change their gender.

The Constitutional Court said the requirements are “unconstitutional” and “in conflict with the fundamental right of trans people to have protected their physical integrity and personal autonomy in connection with their human dignity.”

Only two of the court’s 15 judges opposed the verdict, which cannot be appealed. Lawmakers must change the affected sections of the law by the middle of next year.

The court ruled at the request of a person who was seeking a gender change. The authorities refused to register him as a man because he had not undergone surgery.

The Czech practice was criticized by LGBTQ+ rights groups.

The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, was one of the last European Union countries to have such conditions in law.

FILE - People march during the LGBTQ+ parade at the Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. On Tuesday May 7, 2024 , the Czech Republic's highest legal authority ruled to dismiss part of a law requiring people to undergo surgery, including sterilisation and change of sexual organs, to be able to officially change their gender. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)