Huge change to birth certificates allowing millions of Aussies to change gender

Millions of Aussies will soon be able to change their gender on their birth certificate, as one state is set to usher in a huge change.

The change is taking place in Western Australia and comes weeks after Prime Minister Roger Cook's government banned genderless birth certificates for newborns.

The new gender selection is part of an update to the Equal Opportunity Act announced at the end of 2022.

But a year later, the changes are still being prepared.

The proposed changes include a third gender option that would allow a person to retroactively change his or her identity to non-binary.

The government has not announced what the minimum age will be for teenagers who want to be recognized as non-binary.

The reforms will mean that people who want to update their sex or gender information on their birth certificate will no longer have to prove that they have undergone a surgical or medical procedure

Teenagers will need parental permission to change their gender status on their document.

“WA's proposed reforms will take into account the WA Law Reform Commission's comprehensive review and 2018 report,” a state government spokesperson told us. The Western Australia.

'As announced at the time, the report recommended amending the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1998 to provide for the gender classifications of 'male', 'female' and 'non-binary'.

They said having the third option is in line with the Commonwealth Government's approach to passports, but also in line with other states and territories.

It had also been announced that the Gender Reassignment Board would be abolished.

The government has instead introduced legislation for a more streamlined gender recognition process in Western Australia.

The reforms will mean that people who want to update their sex or gender information on their birth certificate will no longer have to prove that they have undergone a surgical or medical procedure.

Instead, they must provide a certificate from their doctor or psychologist confirming that they have undergone treatment related to their sex or gender identity.

The government has not announced what the minimum age will be for teenagers who want to be recognized as non-binary

Millions of Western Australian teenagers and adults will be able to apply to change their documents

Applications would be processed by the registry office.

Government sources said they had considered introducing the Tasmanian model, where gender selection on birth certificates is optional.

But they said the government was too nervous to bring it in because it was too politically sensitive.

“There will be no change to the way a child's gender at birth is recorded or displayed on a birth certificate under any reform relating to gender recognition,” a spokesperson for Mr Quigley said.