Tue 12 Jul 2016 In: Our Communities View at Wayback View at NDHA
Over the past few weeks signatures have been gathered on a petition to get the issue of identity documentation before the Government and Administration Select Committee. Author: Allyson Hamblett Green MP, Jan Logie prepared the petition to ask the Minister of Internal Affairs to enable intersex adults, transgender adults and other gender diverse adults to change the sex details on any official documentation to male, female or indeterminate based solely on the individual’s self- identification, without any requirement for medical treatment and without the need to resort to a court process. Signatures were gathered by myself and other trans advocates, including T35+ facilitators Elijah Luke Michel and Lisa Irwin and Anna Nelson. The petition will also allow the discussion of the need to finally amend Citizenship Act (1977) to ensure that all changed citizenship certificates are, indeed, legal. While the latter has been an 8 year battle for me, the idea of reducing the medical threshold for legal recognition was recommended in To Be Who I Am (2008). I would like to thank everyone who signed the petition. Supplementary Order Paper 191 came into effect in January 2009, which allows overseas born trans people to apply to the Family Court and obtain a Declaration AS To Sex. Previously the whole legal process was designed for trans people who were born in New Zealand. The Family Court would issue a Declaration As To Sex, which would then instruct the registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages to amend the applicants birth certificate. I recall vividly supporting a friend who was born in UK to try to obtain a Declaration As To Sex, making use of SOP 191 and confusing the Family Court in Masterton. When handing over the documentation to the court, they said “…not here, Honey” . My friend found a way through the process by going through the Family Court in Wellington, I was born in UK and managed to obtain a Declaration As To Sex In 2006, effectively breaking the law. Despite going through all the medical requirements needed and having a good lawyer, I found the process difficult. It has to become easier. The process has to become administrative in nature, so that all applicants can have everything processed in a timely factor. It has to retain the inclusive nature of being available to overseas born trans people and it has to remove the medical threshold which are different for trans men and trans women. I hope that The Government and Administration Select Committee will look favourably on making the necessary amendments to make the process of gender recognition easier for people. Allyson Hamblett - 12th July 2016