Transgender People In Victoria Now Able To Change Birth Certificate Without Having To Undergo Surgery

Victoria's parliament has voted to allow transgender and gender diverse people to change their birth certificate without having to undergo surgery.

The move has been hailed a 'momentous night' after a majority of politicians voted in support of changing the The Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment Bill.

This removes the need for a person to have do this process post-surgery and also gives people who categorise themselves as non-binary a bunch of options.

The bill also allows children to change their gender on their certificate as long as they have the permission of their parents and a statement from a doctor or registered psychologist.

If you think this is a rogue move, it's worth noting that five jurisdictions in Australia have done the same thing and now Victoria is in line with Tasmania, Northern Territory, South Australia and the ACT.

Attorney-General Jill Hennessy said: "These important new laws are about ensuring everyone can live their life as they choose, and that includes having a birth certificate that reflects their true identity.

"The current surgery requirement sends a painful and false message that there is something wrong with being trans or gender diverse that needs to be 'fixed' - that's why we're removing this cruel and unfair barrier."

Victorian Government

The bill will now go to the government for Royal assent.

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam added it was a brilliant step forward for Victorians.

"A momentous night as birth certificate reforms pass the upper house of Vic Parliament," she wrote on Twitter.

"Some powerful and passionate speeches helped increase the majority to 26:14 in final vote. My love to our trans and gender diverse communities who have fought for so long for this."

Labor MP Jackson Taylor also said: "Sometimes change scares people. I get that. And I understand that some in our community may disagree with the change to the Births, Deaths & Marriages Act.

"But for those in the LGBTQI+ community, this small change means a hell of a lot."

That leaves New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia who require trans and gender diverse people to have undergone surgery before changing their certificate.

Topics: News, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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