New South Wales, Australia, legally recognizes non-binary genders

Lee · Jul 30, 2013

This is kinda old news, but I just found out about it recently.

In an Australian first, the NSW Court of Appeal on Friday gave people who do not identify as male or female formal legal recognition.

It overturned a ruling that everyone must be registered as a man or a woman with the registry of births, deaths and marriages. Previously this right was restricted to passports.

It is also likely to be drawn upon as a guide for cases interstate.
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(Source)

"I thought about what gender would I want to be given the option and it's a whole person - it's male and female in some ways and, in other ways, it's neither. Physically I'm neuter like your pet; socially I'm both."

In 2009, Norrie began a journey to be legally recognised as neither male nor female.

Norrie applied to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages to have "hir" identity certificate changed to sex "not specified", and in 2010, became the first person recognised as neither man nor woman, in the eyes of the NSW government.

Norrie prefers the gender-neutral pronouns "hir" instead of his or her, and "zie" instead of he or she.

But four months later the registry wrote to Norrie after receiving legal advice, and said the change had been issued in error and was invalid.

"When it happened I couldn't see a way forward. I was just down in a deep dark black hole. It was a strange time," Norrie said.

"In a way it felt like I'd been socially murdered or socially assassinated. The government said they were going to do this thing and had done it and then pulled it out from under me."

Norrie appealed the decision to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal, but the case was dismissed.

So, Norrie went to the New South Wales Supreme Court, and on May 31 this year, won.

"Oh, we'd won after so long. A court had finally said of course sex is just not binary, don't be silly," Norrie said.

"If you're going to specify male or female, I'm not specifically male or female."
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(Source)

Blackee Dammet · Jul 30, 2013

Tumblrstan.

Erica · Jul 30, 2013

Cool man. It's great to see Gender being recognized as the fluid thing that it is.

Lee · Jul 30, 2013

I'm hoping the rest of the country will do the same. If not, I wanna move to NSW.

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New South Wales, Australia, legally recognizes non-binary genders

Lee Well-Known Member

Blackee Dammet Feminism Is My God Now

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New South Wales, Australia, legally recognizes non-binary genders

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