Australian commission calls for 'intersex' gender designation
Last Updated: Friday, December 5, 2008 | 10:36 PM ET
Reuters, special to CBC News
Australia's official human rights watchdog wants a third gender called "intersex" to be created for use on official documents like passports and driving licences, a newspaper report said on Saturday.
The new gender would be another legally recognized option alongside male and female, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The proposal from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission was contained in a discussion paper issued to transgender and transsexual advocates, the paper said.
The commission is a statutory body that advises the Australian government.
Commission officials could not be reached immediately for comment on the Daily Telegraph's report.
Under the commission's proposals, the "intersex" designation might be available even to some people who have not undergone surgery to change their sex, the newspaper said.
The paper, entitled "Sex Files — The legal recognition of sex: Proposed reform," states that the introduction of the third gender was a "key feature of the reform proposal being developed by the commission," the Daily Telegraph reported.
With files from ReutersShare Tools
Top News Headlines
- HMCS Corner Brook collision damage extensive
- The damage to HMCS Corner Brook when it hit the ocean floor off B.C.'s coast last summer was more extensive than first reported, CBC News has learned by obtaining exclusive pictures of the submarine. more »
- Mandatory gun sentence struck down by Ontario judge
- An Ontario Superior Court judge has struck down a mandatory minimum sentence for a first offence of possessing a loaded firearm. more »
- O Canada! 12 Flag Day stories of patriotism
- Ahead of tomorrow's Flag Day celebrations, our readers shared some of their proudest Canadian moments. Here are some of the best. more »
- UN raises fears of civil war in Syria
- Syrian government forces renewed their assault on the rebellious city of Homs on Tuesday, activists said, as the UN human rights chief raised fears of civil war. more »
Latest World News Headlines
- Moody's downgrades Italy, Portugal, Spain
- Ratings agency Moody's Investor Service on Monday downgraded its credit ratings on Italy, Portugal and Spain, while France, Britain and Austria kept their top ratings but had their outlooks dropped to "negative" from "stable." more »
- U.S. gets 1st hard look at future China leader
- Washington gets its first hard look Tuesday at Xi Jinping, the man destined to lead China in the coming decade, during which the global powers probably will see their economic ties grow. more »
- Whitney Houston's body now at N.J. funeral home
- Whitney Houston's body has been flown from Los Angeles to New Jersey, where her family is making arrangements for a funeral at the end of the week. more »
- Obama unveils $3.8T budget proposal
- U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled a $3.8 trillion spending plan on Monday for 2013 that seeks to achieve $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade. more »
Dispatches »
- Syrian refugees' defiance and division Feb. 13, 2012 4:06 PM With the deadly game in Syria changing almost daily, CBC's Derek Stoffel in Turkey met militant refugees who reflect the division in the rebel forces about whether to go it alone or wait for the international community to back them against the current regime.
Connect Newsroom Blog
Siege in Syria, Ship Rescue & The Pickton Inquiry Feb. 13, 2012 8:09 PM We'll talk to a Syrian-American doctor tonight about whether the Assad regime is using medicine as a weapon.
- HMCS Corner Brook collision damage extensive
- Whitney Houston's body now at N.J. funeral home
- Online surveillance critics siding with child porn: Toews
- Mandatory gun sentence struck down by Ontario judge
- Stanley Cup rioter seen in brick attack on cop
- Whitney Houston estate value set to soar
- Man pleads guilty to murder of stepdaughter, 17
- Whitney Houston's body headed home to New Jersey
- HIV-positive B.C. man jailed for assault, child porn
