Sex and gender diversity groups across the country are hopeful that the Federal Government will take recommendations from the Australian Human Rights Commission’s new report into the legal recognition of sex in documents and government records.
The concluding paper for the Human Rights Commission’s sex and gender diversity project, Sex Files: The legal recognition of sex in documents and government records was launched at Parliament House in Canberra last month.
It was developed through consultations with members of diverse sex and gender communities around the country and the use of an online blog, where people of diverse sexuality and gender could anonymously share their thoughts and experiences.
Human Rights Commissioner, Graeme Innes, said that the idea for the Sex Files report came while undertaking research for the Same-Sex: Same Entitlements inquiry into discrimination against same sex couples and families.
‘It is difficult for most of us to understand being born into a body that is the wrong sex, or into a body that is not exclusively male or female, but for some people this is an extremely frustrating reality that they have had to deal with in their lives.’
It was decided that the Sex Files project would focus on documentation after preliminary research showed that the recording and proof of sex and/or gender in official documents and government records was a major human rights issue for sex and gender diverse people.
‘The appalling thing about this situation over sex and gender identity in documentation and records is the disruption it causes in the life of the person concerned by putting a spotlight on what in many cases is a very private matter in an otherwise completely ordinary life and, in others, a life that is lived without usually having to make such frustrating and embarrassing justifications,’ Commissioner Innes said.
The inquiry includes 15 recommendations for improving the current system for legally recognizing sex identity and it is hoped that it will be as successful in assisting legislation change as the Human Rights Commission’s Same-sex: same entitlements inquiry.
President of the WA Gender Project, Aram Hosie, said that he is optimistic the Federal Government will examine the Sex Files report and look at ways to go forward from there.
‘I’m cautiously optimistic that as with the Same-Sex Same-Entitlements report the Sex Files report can result in some real law reform,’ Mr Hosie said.
‘However I think reform will only happen if people, lots of people hopefully, go armed with the report to their State and Federal MPs and start lobbying for action and I worry that’s where progress may be slow without some activists and MPs to really champion the cause.’
The paper and its 15 recommendations are available at the Australian Human Rights Commission website:
www.humanrights.gov.au/genderdiversity/sex_files2009.html
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