A transgender cousin of Aussie singer Natalie Imbruglia says new federal laws will force Australians seeking sex-change operations overseas to risk humiliating body cavity and strip searches. Stefanie Imbruglia, first cousin of the actor turned pop star, said that under the new laws, which came into effect last month, she would have to be identified as a man on her passport, even though she had breasts, or she would have to travel on the lesser document of identity, which did not state sex. Either way, it would attract unwelcome attention from immigration and customs authorities, who could demand the embarrassing searches. "By asking me to travel on a document of identity, this government is asking me to put a spotlight on myself in a foreign country when it is totally unnecessary and makes me fear for my safety," said Ms Imbruglia, who lives in Sydney. "The alternative is that I travel on a passport that says I am a man, when I am presenting as a woman with breasts. And on my return I will be forced to travel on a false passport and what if they were to do a body search and I am all swollen, with a vagina? Either way it is unacceptable." Before July, a person seeking a gender reassignment operation overseas could apply for a limited validity passport that listed their intended sex on return. Making false or misleading statements carries a penalty of up to 10 years' imprisonment or a $110,000 fine under the Australian Passports Act. Ms Imbruglia said she had hoped to have the $20,000 sex-change operation in Thailand. An estimated 200 to 400 Australians have sex-change operations in Thailand each year. Ref: The Age (m)