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Tasmania has become the first Australian state to pass controversial reforms that make gender optional on birth certificates.

It’s an ongoing global debate, and now Tasmania has become the first Australian state to pass controversial reforms making gender an optional addition on birth certificates news.com.au reports. The reforms were passed last Wednesday, following Liberal Speaker Sue Hickey voting against her party to support the changes, but some have labelled the decision ‘ridiculous’.

An Ongoing Debate

After a three day marathon of deliberation and discussion, amendments to the bill were finalised last Thursday. They not only remove the requirement to include gender on birth certificates but also allow transgender people to change their gender marker without the need for reassignment surgery and allow those over the age of sixteen to change their gender without parental permission. Transgender rights activist Martine Delaney told news.com.au that it was a historic moment for the state.

“I congratulate those upper house members who put people before politics and who stood up for equality and inclusion,” she said. “When historians come to write about how Tasmania adopted the best transgender laws in the nation, and the world, they will say the quietest voices spoke the loudest.”

Not Without Opposition

The changes have been met with some opposition including Prime Minister Scott Morrison who said the suggestion was “ridiculous” when it was proposed last year. The Australian Christian Lobby has also been vocal about the removal of a gender marker from birth certificates saying it undermines the significance of official documents.

“The sex a child is born with is a scientific and immutable fact,” Mark Brown, state director for the lobby, said. “If a person’s biological sex is changed or removed it greatly diminishes the significance and usefulness of birth certificates.”

Whatever your feelings about the changes, it will be interesting to see what impact they will have and whether other states and territories will follow suit…

Do you think removing gender from birth certificates is a good idea? Share your thoughts in the comments!

  • But wait…..this isnt going far enough….how do we know that they will even elect to be a human? … freedom of choice people….as RIcky Gervais said “If I choose to have my legs chopped off and wheels put on and call myself a Pram then im a pram”

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  • Common sense is deteriorating. This is actually too ridiculous to contemplate.

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  • This is a heap of “rubbish”, with transgender optional thru life, it is an unnecessary step at birth, even for the sexually indeterminate genitalia, there are always DNA tests.

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  • It’s a BIRTH certificate, not a “whatever gender you choose later in life” certificate.

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  • As mr brown said ‘The sex a child is born with is a scientific and immutable fact’
    This has just gone too far seriously. We are what we are

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  • Of my god are you serious?! This is ridiculous beyond belief!

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  • Gender should be on the birth certificate. You are either female or male, that’s it.

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  • This is ridiculous. Of course you are born male or female so why shouldn’t that be put on your birth certificate.

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  • This is ridiculous idea.
    Even with adult physical gender reassignment, there are cases where this has been regretted, with reversals required.
    cheers richard

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  • All these discussions about gender free upbringing is a bit over the top for me. It could actually cause a lot of confusion about the gender of a child when the message is you’re not a girl or a boy, you can choose yourself.

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  • It’s a load of poo. You are who you are born and there’s nothing that can change that. Sure, you might be able to get an operation but it doesn’t change the fact that you were born a male or a female.

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  • What a stupid law to pass – think a lot of this hoo-ha is causing children to believe there is something wrong with them if they are content in their own skin these days.

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  • Seriously? I think this is ridiculous.

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  • This has gotten way out of control! It is ridiculous!!

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  • This is absolutely ridiculous. A child is born either male or female. There should be absolutely no option to change it or not state what sex the child was born as.
    If later that child is trans then yes fine they can apply to change it, but no option at birth?? That’s ridiculous, wrong & creating more problems then they can forsee.

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  • No they are either a girl or boy unless there is a true medical issue it shouldn’t be so the parent can be just weird with their ideas

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  • I quite agree the world has gone mad.

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  • This is crazy, we are actually creating problems and issues. They need to have a good hard look at themselves

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  • This world is seriously turning to shit

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  • You are either born Male or Female. No amount of surgery is going to change that!

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