Australian Children Are Now Allowed To Select Their Gender

• Victoria, Australia has passed a new bill allowing citizens, including children, to change gender on their birth certificates.
• Victoria is the fifth state to pass the law in the country.

People – the children included – in several Australian states now have the freedom to choose their preferred gender on their birth certificates. This is following the approval of a new bill in Victoria, the fifth state in the country to adopt such a law. 26 legislators voted for the change and only 14 opposed it.

This means that trans and gender-diverse individuals have the option to alter their birth certificate and indicate what gender they identify with. And no, the process does not require even a surgical gender reassignment, as it was in the past.

This can be done through the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages as people nominate themselves for a gender change whether they identify as a male, female or any other gender as long as they can provide a statutory declaration and a statement from a fellow adult they know for 1 year or more.

As mentioned earlier, children also have the same option but they are required to obtain parental consent and a statement from a doctor or psychologist that indicates the gender change will be good for the child.

Not surprisingly, the new law has attracted mixed reactions from many.

Liberal MP Bernie Finn said the new law is an “attack on our society”, pointing out that a male with a female birth certificate may take advantage of that “to molest women… and young girls.”

On the other hand, Animal Justice party MP David Meddick rejoiced in the bill’s passing saying that it will help combat discrimination and marginalization.

Meanwhile, Attorney-General Jill Hennessy posted this message on Twitter:

Tasmania was the first to pass the law and according to Equality Australia legal director Lee Carnie, there is more to come after Victoria.

“Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales are next in line for birth certificate reform,” promised Carnie.

Watch the video report here: