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We thought this report we received from Samantha Singson of C-Fam (Catholic
Family & Human Rights Institute) on April lst might have been a joke,
but no such luck. It is deadly serious. Headed "Australia Rescinds
Special Status for ‘Non-Specific Sex’ ”, the report says:
"Last month, the Australian government made international headlines
for being the first to officially recognize a third gender on a state-issued
document. Just days after conferring the new ‘sex not specified’
status, the government rescinded the certificate, leaving a raging controversy
over the definition of ‘gender’ in its wake.
"The ‘sex not specified’ status legally recognized Norrie
May-Welby as neither male nor female. May-Welby was born in Scotland and
registered as male at birth, but underwent sex change surgery 20 years
ago. The government of Australia then issued May-Welby a female recognition
certificate. May-Welby subsequently ceased lifelong hormone treatment
and adopted a ‘neuter identity’ which is neither male nor female.
According to news reports, doctors recently said because Norrie had stopped
taking female hormones several years ago, they were unable to determine
gender.
"The New South Wales Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry then issued
a ‘Sex Not Specified’ certificate. Most Australian states or
territories allow any person who is at least 18 years of age, unmarried
and has undergone a ‘sex change’ may apply for alteration of
sex determination in that jurisdiction's birth register or apply for the
‘Recognized Details Certificate’ acknowledging their name and
sex. "After the certificate was issued and based on subsequent legal
advice, the NSW Registry reversed itself, and said the ‘sex not specified’
certificate was invalid because the registrar may ‘only issue a recognized
detail certificate or a new birth certificate following a change of sex
in either male or female gender.’ “Last year, the Australian
Human Rights Commission recommended state law be changed to allow people
18 years or older to nominate a non-specific gender on documents and records.
"May-Welby and the Sex And Gender Education (SAGE) lobby group have
lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission arguing
that May-Welby's rights were breached under the Australian Sex Discrimination
Act 1984 and international human rights law, which they argue ‘protects
a person’s right to self-determine their own social identity.’
"There has been a long-standing debate over ‘gender’ at
the United Nations (UN). Just last fall, Member States argued over a report
written by UN Special Rapporteur Martin Scheinin, which single-handedly
attempted to redefine gender as a social construct, contrary to several
official UN definitions of the term. Scheinin asserted that ‘gender
is not static,’ but rather ‘changeable over time and across
contexts.’
" 'Gender' has been defined three times in UN documents. Two non-binding
UN conference outcome documents – the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action
and the Report of the Conference on Human Settlements held the following
year in Istanbul – consider ‘gender’ to be ‘understood
in its ordinary, generally accepted usage.’
"The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, (ICC) which
is binding upon ratifying nations, states that gender ‘refers to
the two sexes, male and female, within the context of society.’ The
Rome Statute of the ICC will be reviewed in Uganda this spring and critics
are on high alert for any attempts to re-open the gender debate.”
Many current moral, social and political controversies on the nature of
marriage, anti-discrimination legislation, and the rights of religious
institutions and individuals to teach or even speak on these issues, hinge
on whether we accept that God created ‘male and female’ (Genesis
1: 27) or whether we descend into a ‘gender unspecified’ chaos.
Come and hear Don Feder, our international guest speaker on some of these
issues.
Endeavour Forum Inc. Public Meeting
7.30 pm , Thursday, 13th May at St. Patrick's Hall, 3 Dalny Rd. Murrumbeena,Vic.3163.
Guest speaker: Mr. Don Feder, Communications Director, World Congress
of Families, on "Challenges confronting the natural family".
The meeting will be chaired by Mr. Peter Westmore, President, National
Civic Council, and the Opening Prayer will be said by Mrs. Gayle Baulch.
The vote of thanks will be given by Mr. John Ballantyne, editor, News
Weekly.
All welcome, $5 donation appreciated. RSVP: Mrs. Prue Oldham,
(03) 9583 6835 or Mrs. Margaret Butts, (03) 9589 5039.
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