Legal Recognition of Sex and Gender: Final Report
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Legal Recognition of Sex and Gender FINAL REPORT NO. 31 JUNE 2020 CONTENTS Information about the Tasmania Law Reform Institute ................................................................. iv Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................... iv List of Acronyms & Abbreviations ................................................................................................ vii Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ ix Terms of Reference .......................................................................................................................... x List of Recommendations ............................................................................................................... xi Part 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Why has the TLRI looked into this issue? ........................................................................... 1 1.2 Background to the reference ................................................................................................ 3 1.3 Scope of review ................................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Conduct of the reference ...................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Terminology ......................................................................................................................... 8 Children and young people .......................................................................................................... 12 Part 2: Legal Recognition of Sex and Gender ........................................................................... 13 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 13 2.2 Tasmania’s current legal framework: explaining the recent changes ................................ 13 2.3 Recent changes to other laws ............................................................................................. 43 2.4 Consequences of changes to the BDM Act: identification documents ............................... 49 2.5 Consequences of changes to the BDM Act: gender-specific programs .............................. 65 2.6 Recent changes and consequential reforms ....................................................................... 75 2.7 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 90 Part 3: Consent to Medical Treatment to Alter a Person’s Sex or Gender ............................. 91 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 91 3.2 Consent to medical treatment for intersex children: understanding the issue ................... 92 3.3 Current approaches to medical consent for intersex children ............................................ 97 3.4 Options for reform ........................................................................................................... 102 3.5 Consent to medical procedures for transgender children ................................................. 114 3.6 Options for reform ........................................................................................................... 118 Appendix 1 – Summary of cases regarding sex and gender ........................................................ 129 Appendix 2 – Reviews of law relating to sex and gender in Australian states and territories .......................................................................................................................... 136 Appendix 3 – Implications of JRL Act for existing legislation .................................................... 141 Appendix 4 – Approved forms .................................................................................................... 162 Appendix 5 – Cases regarding medical procedures for children ................................................. 177 iii Information about the Tasmania Law Reform Institute The Tasmania Law Reform Institute (‘TLRI’) was established on 23 July 2001 by agreement between the Government of the State of Tasmania, the University of Tasmania and the Law Society of Tasmania. The creation of the TLRI was part of a Partnership Agreement between the University and the State government signed in 2000. The TLRI is based at the Sandy Bay campus of the University of Tasmania within the Faculty of Law. The TLRI undertakes law reform work and research on topics proposed by the government, the community, the University and the TLRI itself. The work of the TLRI involves the review of laws with a view to: • the modernisation of the law • the elimination of defects in the law • the simplification of the law • the consolidation of any laws • the repeal of laws that are obsolete or unnecessary • uniformity between laws of other states and the Commonwealth. The TLRI’s Acting Director is Dr Brendan Gogarty. The members of the Board of the TLRI are Dr Brendan Gogarty (Chair), Professor Tim McCormack (Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Tasmania), the Honourable Justice Helen Wood (appointed by the Honourable Chief Justice of Tasmania), Ms Kristy Bourne (appointed by the Attorney-General), Associate Professor Jeremy Prichard (appointed by the Council of the University), Mr Craig Mackie (nominated by the Tasmanian Bar Association), Ms Ann Hughes (appointed at the invitation of the TLRI Board), Mr Rohan Foon (appointed by the Law Society of Tasmania), Ms Kim Baumeler (appointed at the invitation of the TLRI Board) and Ms Rosie Smith (appointed at the invitation of the TLRI Board as a member of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community). The Board oversees the TLRI’s research, considering each reference before it is accepted, and approving publications before their release. This study has been approved by the Tasmanian Social Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee. If you have concerns or complaints about the conduct of this study, please contact the Executive Officer of the HREC (Tasmania) Network on +61 3 6226 6254 or email [email protected]. The Executive Officer is the person nominated to receive complaints from research participants. Please quote ethics reference number H0016752. Acknowledgments This Final Report was prepared for the Board by Dylan Richards and Jess Feehely and edited by Bruce Newey. The Issues Paper that preceded this Report was also prepared by Jess Feehely and Dylan Richards and edited by Bruce Newey. Assistance and oversight of the preparation of the Report was provided by the previous TLRI Director, Associate Professor Terese Henning and Acting Director Dr Brendan Gogarty. Valuable advice was also provided by the Board of the TLRI. iv The TLRI wishes to thank all those who made submissions in response to the questions asked in the Issues Paper. All submissions greatly assisted the TLRI in determining the recommendations in this Report. All those submissions have been taken into account in formulating those recommendations. The project was funded by a grant from the Solicitors’ Guarantee Fund. Special thanks goes to Jon Kudelka (art); Oliver Cassidy (voice) and Nick Storr (sound) for their dedicated, voluntary work on the Explainer Video to the Final Report. The Explainer Video can be found at <http://utas.edu.au/gender-reforms>. v Explainer Video and Electronic Copy of Report An Explainer Video for the Final Report can be found at: http://utas.edu.au/gender-reforms An electronic copy of the Final Report is available at the TLRI website via the permalink http://utas.edu.au/gender-reforms An electronic copy may also be obtained by: Email: [email protected] Phone: (03) 6226 2069 Post: Tasmania Law Reform Institute Private Bag 89 Hobart TAS 7001 vi List of Acronyms & Abbreviations The following is a complete list of acronyms used in this Final Report: ABS – Australian Bureau of Statistics ACL – Australian Christian Lobby ADA – Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 (Tas) AGA – A Gender Agenda AHRC – Australian Human Rights Commission AIA – Acts Interpretation Act 1931 (Tas) AISSGA – Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group Australia AMA – Australian Medical Association APS – Australian Psychological Society BDM Act – Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1999 (Tas) CFP – Chief Forensic Psychiatrist CLC Tasmania – Community Legal Centres Tasmania Criminal Code – Criminal Code Act 1924 (Tas), Schedule 1 Darlington Statement – Intersex Human Rights Australia, Joint consensus statement by Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand intersex organisations and independent advocates (2017), see footnote 22 on p 10 of this Report. FLC – Feminist Legal Centre Gender Declaration – a statutory declaration made under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1999, s 28A, described at [2.4.62] on p 59 of this Report. Gillick Competence – the common law test for the capacity of children to give valid consent, described at [3.5.6] on p 115 of this Report. Human Cloning Act – Human Cloning for Reproduction and Other Prohibited Practices Act 2003 (Tas) JRL Act – Justice and Related Legislation (Marriage and Gender Amendments) Act 2019 (Tas) Malta Declaration – Organisation