To: Australian Government
Australian Commonwealth Gender Recognition Act
This campaign has ended.
A Commonwealth Gender Recognition Act would do the following:-
1. Free access to hormones, if requested, without being diagnosed with ’gender dysphoria’.
2. Free, quality FTM/MTF Transgender surgeries and all medical procedures for all trans and gender diverse people fully covered under medicare through the public system. Not all transgender people require electrolysis but it should be made available for transgender women.
3. Full legal recognition of gender identity regardless of whether or not a person gets surgery. This includes birth certificates but is not limited to passports. A person’s legal identity should be “male” or “female” as they choose, or they should also have the option of marking an “X” or “trans”, or something else if they choose.
4. Anti-discrimination laws that support trans people in fighting off discrimination in jobs, housing, schooling.
5. Affirmative action in public housing and employment, including crisis accommodation to cater specifically for the needs of trans people.
6. Anti-bigotry campaigns in schools and wider society that teach people about trans rights.
7. The repeal of all legislation discriminating against trans people.
8. Government funding for services run by and for the trans community, such as Gender Centres. There should be a Gender Centre in every capital city at least with no police interference.
9. Specific units in hospitals to cater to the needs of trans people.
These transgender demands can be found at https://socialist-alliance.org/policy/lgbti-rights/trans-people%E2%80%99s-rights
Why is this important?
We the undersigned call on the Australian Government to legislate a Commonwealth Gender Recognition Act for affordable medical and legal Trans and gender diverse rights in Australia. Currently, in Australia, Transgender surgery is a legal requirement for Queensland born transgender people living in NSW to be granted an Australian birth Certificate recognizing trans and gender diverse people's legal gender from the Registrar of QLD Births, Deaths & Marriages. FTM bottom surgery in Queensland for transgender men costs $90,000 or more through the private health care system and is not covered by Medicare or private health insurance due to not being available through the public healthcare system. For those of us who are on Centrelink who cannot afford to pay are denied legal gender recognition on Queensland birth certificates without Genital reconstruction surgery.