'Third Gender' option available on passports

[BRN]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14926598 Australia will allow intersexed and transgendered people to list their gender as 'indeterminate' - or, 'X' - in a move that is said to be aimed at curbing gender discrimination. It's a mark of quite a step forward in equality rights, but the rest of the world seems reluctant to follow. A success, FAF?

 

[Smart_Cookie]

Thoughts, FAF?

This thread is going to get awfully autistic awfully fast. :V

That said, it's a step in the right direction at least.

 

[Bliss]

How exactly do you get that? What are the requirements?

I think it's a good thing. Hell, I'd get it if I were eligible. Phuck you, bitches!

 

[The_Lightning_Fox]

Agreed, it is a step in the right direction... but I'm still waiting for the marches of [souther state] to happen! For I expect the same thing with the civil rights movement (maybe not to as much of a degree) esspecially with the resugance of Ultra Conservatism, to happen.

 

[Cain]

Brilliant idea, although what'll happen if these people attempt to get through Middle Eastern passports, like Dubai, which are anti-transvestite/transsexual/intersex/etc, and are also Flight Transit centres?

Millions of flights from asia and europe alike usually transfer/connect through Dubai. I'd hate to see what'll happen when an Arab immigration officer looks at the gender and sees anything besides Male or Female.

 

[TreacleFox]

And yet the age of consent is not the same for both straight and gay in all states here yet. :S

 

[Schwimmwagen]

I think it's an alright idea, aside from the issues involved with getting into the Middle-East as Jaggy pointed out. They need to catch up a bit, I say. If people don't like the idea of transgendered people, fair enough, that's just them, we all have our particular dislikes to things but they shouldn't ever get the law involved like that.

 

[Xenke]

Isn't the point of identifying your gender on a passport supposed to be some form of identification?

 

[ramsay_baggins]

I think it's an alright idea, aside from the issues involved with getting into the Middle-East as Jaggy pointed out. They need to catch up a bit, I say. If people don't like the idea of transgendered people, fair enough, that's just them, we all have our particular dislikes to things but they shouldn't ever get the law involved like that.

Only problem is that once you touch down in a Middle Eastern country their laws apply. In a lot of them is a jailable offence simply to be gay. This third gender option could get you imprisioned, simply for stating you are not male or female. It's fucked up. I'm not sure about how Dubai would react, but many flights from Australia at least stop there, especially to other places in Europe, including the UK.

 

[Hateful Bitch]

Looks like third gendered people aren't going to be able to be foreign news reporters >:
Well not in the middle east anyway I guessss

Not that imagine that would be a problem very often?

 

[Xenke]

Also, they already did this in India.

 

[Cain]

Only problem is that once you touch down in a Middle Eastern country their laws apply. In a lot of them is a jailable offence simply to be gay. This third gender option could get you imprisioned, simply for stating you are not male or female. It's fucked up. I'm not sure about how Dubai would react, but many flights from Australia at least stop there, especially to other places in Europe, including the UK.

It still is very anti-gay here. >:C

 

[FlynnCoyote]

And yet the age of consent is not the same for both straight and gay in all states here yet. :S

Depending on your situation, this can be an advantage... :v


I find this odd myself. When I eventually leave Oz for my eventual tour of the old country I`ll probably still just put myself down as male. Really I don`t see any point to this. The countries where discrimination are most rife seem like the places where this will be illegal anyway.

I agree with the view that sexism needs to stop.

 

[Aetius]

I can already see the wave of deportations coming from the middle east and other ultra-conservative authoritarian countries.

 

[CannonFodder]

I can already see the wave of deportations coming from the middle east and other ultra-conservative authoritarian countries.

More likely imprisonment, cause think about it those hikers in jail in iran still haven't been released and all they did was go hiking. The middle east isn't going to deport them, they're going to shove them into a dark prison for the rest of their lives.

 

[Ad Hoc]

Well, if you're a transman or a transwoman, you'd probably want an M or an F, respectively; though I guess opinions may vary. Definite step forward for genderqueer, intersex, and other non-binary people, however. I wonder if it would be possible for a cisgender person to pick X for political reasons, the way some people refuse put anything in racial identification fields.

 

[Aetius]

More likely imprisonment, cause think about it those hikers in jail in iran still haven't been released and all they did was go hiking. The middle east isn't going to deport them, they're going to shove them into a dark prison for the rest of their lives.

The thing is, almost all other Middle eastern countries unlike Iran have ties to the west.
Shoving Western nationals into a prison would only create a shitstorm for them, and the possible loss of "aid" from the western countries.

 

[Heimdal]

What's the point of having "Gender" on passport at all if you can legitimately answer "IDUNNO"?

Is it really a step in the right direction anyways? Who's going to look at these passports and care (in a positive way) that it says "X"? The transgender person themselves? Whoop-dee-doo.
I guess it's something. Sorta like getting a rock for Christmas... it's better than not getting a rock for Christmas.

 

[Rilvor]

How is this a good thing?

This is not a step towards equality and integration, it looks more like a step towards encouraging them to acknowledge being different from everyone else to me.

 

[Ad Hoc]

How is this a good thing?

This is not a step towards equality and integration, it looks more like a step towards encouraging them to acknowledge being different from everyone else to me.

It's a big step forward for genderqueers/intersex/etc., people. Gives them legal legitimization.

 

[Rilvor]

It's a big step forward for genderqueers/intersex/etc., people. Gives them legal legitimization.

I understand that in some places they aren't legal, but last I checked here in the US they are. Are they illegal in Australia?

If it's illegal in Aus. then I'll agree with you, but otherwise I do not see how that has any bearing.

 

[Bliss]

I understand that in some places they aren't legal, but last I checked here in the US they are. Are they illegal in Australia?

If it's illegal in Aus. then I'll agree with you, but otherwise I do not see how that has any bearing.

What the heck is this?

If there are only two legal sexes that means their identity is not included.

 

[Ad Hoc]

I understand that in some places they aren't legal, but last I checked here in the US they are. Are they illegal in Australia?

If it's illegal in Aus. then I'll agree with you, but otherwise I do not see how that has any bearing.

Uh

It's not that it's illegal, it's that it's not acknowledged or recognized in any way, which forces them to identify themselves as M or F. (Which is sometimes not even medically possible if they're physically intersexed.) That actually can be rather painful to someone who is intersex/genderqueer/etc., could possibly even cause medical/insurance issues for the intersex person. (Not that this will really help with that latter issue, but it's a step.) It's not up to you to decide if that's important to them or not, and if they want to celebrate this development then that's fine.

 

[Hendly Devin]

This is almost a necessity really especially for transgender individuals. Having lived with one for a while and observing the difficulties of their life stuck between one sex and another is compounded legally when a transgender birth certificate, state ID, or passport says their born sex but they look to be the exact opposite gender now. Seems kind of like an iffy ID to any boarder guard, policeman, or even when creating a bank account.

One would figure it a simple explanation, but with scares of terrorism, identity theft, and crime i cant imagine it to be the easiest thing to deal with.

 

[Ad Hoc]

This is almost a necessity really especially for transgender individuals. Having lived with one for a while and observing the difficulties of their life stuck between one sex and another is compounded legally when a transgender birth certificate, state ID, or passport says their born sex but they look to be the exact opposite gender now. Seems kind of like an iffy ID to any boarder guard, policeman, or even when creating a bank account.

One would figure it a simple explanation, but with scares of terrorism, identity theft, and crime i cant imagine it to be the easiest thing to deal with.

That's a good point too. It'd be ideal if they could just get all their records changed to F or M, but sometimes that's not realistic. I know that in some states in the US, it's practically impossible to get your birth certificate/SS changed, which become problematic.