Parents Will Have to 'Opt in' to Include Baby's Gender on Birth Certificate

A gender rights law has made it through Tasmania’s lower house meaning parents will soon need to ‘opt in’ to have a baby’s sex recorded on birth certificates.

The House of Assembly passed the legislation, which was proposed by Labor and the Greens, on Tuesday night thanks to a deciding vote by Liberal speaker Sue Hickey, shares Daily Mail.

Other changes include individuals being allowed to change their gender from the age of 16 by simply filling out a statutory declaration, according to The Australian.

Anti-discrimination laws were also widened to include ‘gender expression’ such as using the correct names and titles of transgender people.

Amendments were also added to a bill removing the need for a person to become divorced before changing gender.

The laws still have to pass upper house, but it is the first time these laws have been voted through lower house in Australia.

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30 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 26 Dec 2022
    9:22 am
Perhaps we will hve to note… “Born with Penis” or “Born with Vagina”… or in rare cases born with both.

- - MisChip said
  - 09 Jan 2019
    11:42 am
Oh honestly! This is just crazy.

- - Ellen said
  - 05 Jan 2019
    9:13 am
Just silly !

- - ella12 said
  - 29 Dec 2018
    7:56 pm
My gosh things are really getting out of hand now.

- - Blossom said
  - 09 Dec 2018
    10:49 pm
I believe it should be compulsory for the sex of the baby to be recorded on the birth certificate.
At a late date down the family tree sometimes genetic problems need to be traced to work out appropriate treatment.

- - mom111059 said
  - 27 Nov 2018
    10:24 pm
Surely not. Shouldn’t it be that they can opt out rather than opt in.

- - MrsA said
  - 27 Nov 2018
    2:37 pm
Great idea, let’s change how everything is done to suit a small minority. *rolls eyes*

- - natct said
  - 27 Nov 2018
    1:39 pm
Sounds a bit silly. Why confuse the lives of the many because of a confused few.

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 27 Nov 2018
    1:05 pm
Utterly ridiculous! We should not have to opt-in’ to put a gender on a birth certificate because of a small minority. I’m sorry but nature decides whether we are male or female and that is that. You don’t see any gender confused animals out there, why should humans be any different! Maybe the minority should have to ‘opt-in’ to not display it!

- - mom74005 said
  - 26 Nov 2018
    6:45 pm
I understand having the choice to remove the gender although having to opt in is so silly. You go through so much with a baby this is the last thing you need to be thinking about. The baby has bits and these bits come with a label. If the baby turns out not to identify with the bits then it can be changed.

- - tessie said
  - 23 Nov 2018
    12:18 pm
This is a joke, right? Is this what our pollies are doing instead of voting on the important things. It should be opt out if you don’t want that put on their birth certificates

- - mom215581 said
  - 23 Nov 2018
    7:20 am
A can of worms which could be counterproductive.

- - littlehandsofmine said
  - 22 Nov 2018
    9:12 pm
Laws and times have changed!

- - rovermum said
  - 22 Nov 2018
    8:04 pm
Thankfully this is not an issue for me.

- - Myrlie said
  - 22 Nov 2018
    8:55 am
I guess this is the way things will be from now on. I know I’m happy to opt in. If my kids decide when they are older they want to change their gender, then so be it, but I struggle with the idea that there is a mental issue with having it identified on your birth certificate what you were born as.