#MyIDMyIdentity campaign launched to fight for trans equality
Image: Image: Facebook / Human Rights Law Centre.
The Human Rights Law Centre has partnered with The Equality Campaign and trans advocacy groups to launch a new campaign aimed at achieving equality for trans people.
The aims to remove the barriers that prevent trans and gender diverse people from having their gender legally recognised on official documents.
“For most people, updating their birth certificate is really simple,” the HRLC’s announcement reads.
“But for trans or gender diverse people, updating your birth certificate so it correctly reflects your gender can be almost impossible.
Not having your gender correctly reflected on identifying documents can cause difficulties when doing anything from applying for a job to going to Centrelink or applying for uni.
A requirement that a trans person must be unmarried to change the gender on their birth certificate still exists in some states and territories.
“We can make it easier for people who have to update their ID so that it accurately reflects their identity.
“Join the call for all governments in every state and territory to remove the unnecessary barriers that prevent trans and gender diverse people from updating their ID.”
The Equality Campaign collaborated with the HRLC on a video promoting the campaign and addressing the need for ongoing advocacy.
“It’s not marriage equality until all our relationships are equal,” says trans advocate Kate Toyer in the video.
Writing for the Star Observer last month,聽LGBTI rights advocate Martine Delaney .
“I鈥檓 talking about removing聽the requirement for trans people to have surgery聽before our true gender identity can be represented on birth certificates.
I鈥檓 talking about stopping聽unnecessary surgical intervention on intersex children. I鈥檓 talking about removing unnecessary gender markers from official documents,” she wrote.
“Other countries are leaving us behind; for example, since 2015, Ireland has had no surgical or medical requirement for official gender affirmation.”
While some states and territories have removed the forced divorce requirement – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT – others have yet to enact necessary reforms.
To join the campaign and find out how you can help, head to the HRLC website:聽
“Last year we made history,” the HRLC’s Anna Brown says in the video. “Now we need to see it through for everyone.”
