Australia
— Australian Bureau of Statistics
<http://www.abs.gov.au/>
to recognize Intersex and Androgynous people's right to
declare their identity on the National Census to be held
in August 2006.
Chris Somers xxy, an
Australian and International intersexed activist, has
persuaded the Australian Bureau of Statistics to accept
that people who were born and are known as biologically
intersexed or androgynous and who do not feel comfortable
in declaring themselves to be either male or female, no
longer have to.
Instead, if they wish,
they may elect to declare their real biological and
gender identity. Whereas the 2006 Census forms have all
been printed at considerable cost to the Australian
taxpayers, they will as a consequence not be reprinted to
include the two new designator fields this time around.
It is compulsory to fill in the Census by law.
In response to a letter
sent to the ABS by Chris Somersxxy, Dave Nauenburg
Director, Population Census Development and Field
Organisation speaking on behalf of Mr Dennis Trewin, a
CEO of The ABS says:
"the ABS has
no intention to force or coerce respondents to lie
about their sex. My advice to intersex people is that
they can complete the sex question correctly by
ticking none of the boxes provided for the question,
and writing in the word "intersex", or
"androgynous".
National Censuses provide
valuable demographic data about the population and indeed
some of this information may seriously impact upon those
who are intersexed or androgynous in the areas of health
and well being (e,g, Child, Youth and Aged Care),
medical, Physiological, Psychological, Social and other
Research, Education, ID, Passports, etc. and appropriate
infrastructures just as they can with any other person
who is considered fully male or female.
