Austrian court moves to recognise 'third gender'
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Senators Penny Wong and Janet Rice gave emotional responses to an anti-vilification bill introduced to the Senate on Wednesday, September 13. Mathias Cormannâs bill seeks to fine people who vilify, intimidate or threaten harm âon the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status or religion.â Those found in contravention of the bill face fines upwards of $12,000, Sky News reported. The bill will be presented to the lower house on Wednesday afternoon. In response, Wong, who has two children with partner Sophie Allouache, spoke about the âdifficultâ marriage equality campaign and called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to do more to protect children during the debate, who were being treated, she said, as âcollateralâ. âI would say to the Prime Minister, this b ill does something but it doesnât do enough and you need to stand up for those Australians who donât have a voice.â Rice then gave an emotional response discussing her experience marrying a man 30 years ago, who is now her transgender wife. She discussed how they are forced to âself-censorâ in public and acknowledged the difficulties living in Australia in a same-sex relationship. A postal survey asking whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry will be mailed to 16 million Australian voters from September 12, after the High Court ruled on September 7 that the governmentâs $122 million plebiscite was lawful. The results of the survey will be available on November 15. Credit: Australian Parliament via Storyful
Austri an court moves to recognise âthird genderâ.Source:Supplied
AUSTRIAâS constitutional court has ruled that people not wanting to be identified as either male or female should have the right to do so when completing official forms.
The decision marks a big step towards the formal recognition of a third gender.
The court, responding to a request from an intersexual militant known as Alex Juergen, invoked the European Convention on Human Rights to insist that the legislature introduce the option of âotherâ or âinterâ where civil register forms ask a personâs gender.
âFor the first time in my life, I feel like am being recognised as what I am, how I was born,â said Alex Juergen, whose real identity remains a secret.
A sign about bathroom use at a HB2 protest rally of the new North Carolina law which denies rights to those who are gay or transgender.Source:Supplied
The constitutional courtâs decision was hailed by opposition social-democrat, liberal and ecology parties.
However the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), junior partner in Austriaâs coalition government, slammed the courtâs decision as âtotally incomprehensibleâ saying it raises ânumerous problems, notably concerning military service or retirement age.â
The court stressed in its ruling that Article 8 of the European human rights convention guarantees the right to âan individual sexual identityâ and protects âin particular, people with an alternative sexual identityâ.
The article in question states that âeveryone has the right to respect for his private and family lifeâ.
Sydneyâs Inner West council is going to create a pride centre and hire a LGBTQI project officer. Picture: AAPSource:News Corp Australia
Last November neighbouring Germany became the first European nation where the justice system called for the official recognition of a âthird sexâ, a decision followed in May by the Netherlands.