The Australian Christian Lobby has expressed fears a move to make it optional for people living in the southern Australian island state of Tasmania to list gender on their birth certificates could endanger women.
Dan Flynn, the organisation’s acting state director for Tasmania, said the passing of a marriage amendments bill would now allow for “regular changes of gender to an infinite varierty of genders”.
“What is incredibly concerning it that no consideration has been given to the impact on women’s refuges, schools, and clubs,” he said in a statement.
“Under the bill, prisoners will be able to demand accommodation in prisons that accord with the gender they choose. That is not in the interests of the justice system or broader community.”
The ACL said the bill will also introduce “compelled speech” and “weaponise” the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act to fine people for offending a trans person.
“Pronouns are becoming far more numerous and varied, especially for those who identify as genders that do not sit anywhere on a male-female spectrum,” said Flynn. “It is unreasonable to expect that people will always satisfy a trans persons preferred mode of address.”
LGBT rights activists said the state is one of the first places in the world to dispense with gender on birth certificates – something which can be problematic for intersex babies born with atypical chromosomes or sex characteristics.
Cassy O’Conner, leader of the Greens, one of the parties that supported the bill, described the moves – which also allow trans people to change their gender on identity documents without first undergoing sex reassignment surgery, a policy known as “self-identification” – as “nation leading reforms”.
A growing number of US states, as well as countries including Germany, Pakistan and Nepal, allow people to choose non-binary gender options on official documents.
The Australian Government has allowed trans people since 2013 to self-identify on passports, without having surgery or hormone treatment, and to choose “X” as their gender marker. Rules vary for state-issued documents like driving licences.
Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman said that his opponents had “rushed” the parliamentary vote.
“It is highly likely the parliament will need to fix up problems with the legislation,” he said in a statement, without giving further details.
– with Rachel Savage/Thomson Reuters Foundation
