Transgender people in New South Wales can now legally change their birth certificates without needing to undergo invasive surgery thanks to The Equality Bill passing in the upper house on Thursday.
The Equality Bill was a bill initiated by independent MP Alex Greenwich last year. On Thursday evening, a vote for the bill was taken to the Upper House, resulting in 15 votes for, 12 against and a big cheer from supporters once it was passed.
The new changes bring NSW in line with other states across the country and give residents the option to have non-binary as their gender on birth certificates.
After the bill passed, Greenwich stated that the changes would “improve LGBTIQA+ dignity, safety and equality.”
“We’ve got more work to do and we start that work now with new confidence from these significant wins for our community,” he said, per The Guardian.
“The passing of this bill today makes New South Wales a safer and more inclusive place for more people,” said Penny Sharpe, the leader of the government in the upper house.
“People in every other state of Australia are already able to change their sex without requiring surgery, and this legislation will bring us into line with the rest of the country.
“As a government, we’ve been committed to equality for a long time. Supporting this bill is our latest step to ensure every citizen in NSW is valued.”
Anna Brown, the CEO of Equality Australia, has also praised the reforms.
“This is the largest package of LGBTIQ+ reforms in NSW history,” she said.
“These new laws will have no impact on the lives of most people in our state, but for a small number of people, it will make their lives immeasurably better.
“For the people who have told their stories, the leaders who have listened and the politicians who have had the courage of their convictions, this is a watershed moment in our state’s history and a proud moment in their fight for equality.
“It’s a journey that continues as we turn our attention to the state’s anti-discrimination laws and our ongoing efforts to protect vulnerable teachers and students in religious and private schools across the state.”
The Equality Bill is a little bit different to the bill that Greenwich first proposed in 2023. The NSW Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023 — which later became The Equality Bill — originally included changes to the anti-discrimination act which included measures to stop private schools from discriminating against gay or transgender teachers or students. However, this was removed as part of a few concessions made to the OG bill in order to garner the support of NSW’s Premier Chris Minns.
Greenwich hoped the Coalition would allow for a conscience vote, a process which allows individual MPs to decide on how they’d personally like to vote on an issue, rather than voting collectively on an issue. However, opposition leader Mark Speakman said his party would all vote against the reforms.
Despite this, Liberal MP for the North Shore Felicity Wilson told ABC Radio Sydney that she was in support of the changes.
“Just because your party doesn’t have a conscience vote doesn’t mean you don’t have a conscience,” she said.
Well said.
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