Proposed bill allowing people to ‘self-identify’ their sex on birth records

Male, Female, or “any other gender”. Yet another flawed and problematic amendment is currently being rushed through parliament, this one being an amendment (SOP) to the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Bill which will allow people to self-identify their sex on their birth records.

The Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) “aims to provide better support for the needs of transgender, non-binary, and intersex communities” in changing the process by which people can self-identify their sex on their birth records. In the proposed self-identification process, no medical evidence is required for the change of sex – just ‘self-identity’. Under the proposed amendment, the sex/gender options will be the (scientific) norms of male and female, plus the undefined “any other sex or gender”.  There is also no limit to the number of times you can change the gender on your birth certificate. Confusing and problematic isn’t it. 

And the madness doesn’t stop there either. Each parent who is notifying the birth of a child can specify whether they wish to appear on the child’s birth certificate as the child’s “mother”, “father”, or “parent”. Removing the biological father- or the biological mother from a document that records biological history – as is already being allowed to happen by the Department of Internal Affairs – is simply wrong.

We oppose this, believing that a birth certificate is a historical record based on fact – not a political tool to further an ideology. A government document should tell the truth.

You can read our full submission here.

We also encourage you to make your own submission here. Note – this closes on 14th of September.