Melbourne,
Victoria — The Bracks Government is set to
introduce new laws to allow transsexuals to change the
gender on their birth certificates.
According to documents
obtained by The Age, it is also considering whether those
aged between 12 and 18 should be able to have a parent
apply on their behalf to have their birth certificate
amended.
Attorney-General Rob
Hulls is expected to introduce the new laws later this
year to bring Victoria in line with every other state and
territory which all have laws allowing transsexuals to
amend birth certificates.
It is unclear whether it
will be necessary for transsexuals to have undergone sex
change surgery or just had hormone treatment and been
living as their preferred gender for a period of time to
change their birth certificate.
A member of Mr Hulls's
advisory committee for gay, lesbian and transgender
issues yesterday said the Government's preferred position
would require transsexuals to undergo "barbaric" surgery
before being able to change their birth
certificate.
Rosalind Spencer, a
transsexual member of the committee, said the Government
had this month indicated it would not proceed with a plan
that would have allowed people undergoing hormone therapy
instead of surgery to also change their birth
certificates.
Ms Spencer said the
Government had last year approved a proposal that would
have allowed people to make the identification change so
long as they obtained two statutory declarations from
doctors saying they had lived as their "affirmed sex" for
at least 18 months and had been diagnosed with
"transsexualism".
"The (surgery) proposal
would ultimately mean, in the end, that one would be
permanently and sexually scarred for life, if they wish
to have their gender identity legally recognised," Ms
Spencer said.
She claimed the
Government had changed its stance after other members of
the gay, lesbian and transgender community said the
medical profession would not co-operate with the
statutory declaration proposal.
Mr Hulls's office would
not comment on the issue yesterday.
