Australia Makes Third Way Easier on Passports
SYDNEY—In an effort to boost sexual and gender equality, Australia will make it easier for its citizens to apply for passports that reflect a third gender that is neither male nor female, or a gender different from the one on their birth certificate.
European Pressphoto Agency
Transgender people who haven't had sex-reassignment surgery will now be able to select their new gender on the passport application, and the process of applying for a passport designating the holder as intersex—neither male or female—will be simpler, the government said.
"This amendment makes life easier and significantly reduces the administrative burden for sex- and gender-diverse people who want a passport that reflects their gender and physical appearance," Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said. Medical documents to support the application still will be required.
The measure is a symbolic victory for equality campaigners in Australia, a nation with something of a mixed record. Sydney and other big cities have vibrant gay cultures, and a number of prominent politicians, including Finance Minister Penny Wong and Greens party leader Bob Brown, are openly gay, but same-sex marriage remains a vexing political issue.
"I think it is enormously symbolic, particularly for intersex people because having recognition of being intersex and not simply a man or a woman, that's a really big deal," said Jennifer Germon, a lecturer in Gender and Cultural Studies at the University of Sydney. It is estimated that one in every 2,000 live births world-wide is intersex, but no official figures are available for Australia, Ms. Germon said.
The sometimes ambiguous issue of gender came under the international spotlight in 2009 when world-champion runner Caster Semenya of South Africa was barred from competition by the International Association of Athletics Federations pending tests to verify that she is a woman. She was cleared to compete again in 2010.
People in the U.K. and U.S. already are able to get travel documents that show a gender other than the one of their birth. Canada allows it only for postsurgical transgenders, while New Zealand relies on a family court to judge a person's gender.
For Norrie May-Welby, 50, an Australian born in Scotland who underwent sex-change surgery in 1989 to become neuter, the new process comes just in time. May-Welby, who identifies as gender-nonspecific, is applying for a new passport and says previous travel hasn't always been easy.
"I've been seeking legal documents that say 'nonspecific.' I don't fit either box and a lot of people don't," May-Welby said. "Once I was randomly checked in customs—it was in Australia. I was lucky there, but I still don't want a passport that doesn't match my identity. It's easy to explain it to an Australian, but you want the paper to say the right thing if you're in Uzbekistan."
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Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd (above) said the new policy 'reduces the administrative burden for sex- and gender-diverse people.'
"This amendment makes life easier and significantly reduces the administrative burden for sex- and gender-diverse people who want a passport that reflects their gender and physical appearance," Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said. Medical documents to support the application still will be required.
The measure is a symbolic victory for equality campaigners in Australia, a nation with something of a mixed record. Sydney and other big cities have vibrant gay cultures, and a number of prominent politicians, including Finance Minister Penny Wong and Greens party leader Bob Brown, are openly gay, but same-sex marriage remains a vexing political issue.
"I think it is enormously symbolic, particularly for intersex people because having recognition of being intersex and not simply a man or a woman, that's a really big deal," said Jennifer Germon, a lecturer in Gender and Cultural Studies at the University of Sydney. It is estimated that one in every 2,000 live births world-wide is intersex, but no official figures are available for Australia, Ms. Germon said.
The sometimes ambiguous issue of gender came under the international spotlight in 2009 when world-champion runner Caster Semenya of South Africa was barred from competition by the International Association of Athletics Federations pending tests to verify that she is a woman. She was cleared to compete again in 2010.
People in the U.K. and U.S. already are able to get travel documents that show a gender other than the one of their birth. Canada allows it only for postsurgical transgenders, while New Zealand relies on a family court to judge a person's gender.
For Norrie May-Welby, 50, an Australian born in Scotland who underwent sex-change surgery in 1989 to become neuter, the new process comes just in time. May-Welby, who identifies as gender-nonspecific, is applying for a new passport and says previous travel hasn't always been easy.
"I've been seeking legal documents that say 'nonspecific.' I don't fit either box and a lot of people don't," May-Welby said. "Once I was randomly checked in customs—it was in Australia. I was lucky there, but I still don't want a passport that doesn't match my identity. It's easy to explain it to an Australian, but you want the paper to say the right thing if you're in Uzbekistan."
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