Kids 12 and Up Given Freedom to Change Birth Certificate in Queensland, Australia

Signage for an 'all gender' bathroom at Sydney's International Airport in Australia on Dec. 11, 2022. (Daniel Teng/The Epoch Times)

Self-identifying transgender children who are 12 and over will be able to change their birth certificate without needing to first undergo sex reassignment surgery, according to new laws just passed by the Queensland Labor government.

Previously, a person would need to undergo surgery before they could alter the gender on their birth certificate; now, the Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Bill 2022 has effectively done away with that provision.

Trans and gender-diverse individuals can now also legally change their name at the time they change their formal gender.

For children from 12 to 16, parents or guardians can apply directly to a government registry after certain criteria are met or via a court application. Children must also first receive an assessment from a counsellor but do not need a certificate from a doctor.

Meanwhile, same-sex or gender-diverse parents can register as either “mother” or “father.”

Labor Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said the changes would support the LGBT+ community, which has faced “discrimination” and “hate.”

“These laws also recognise same-sex and gender-diverse parents by acknowledging the undeniable reality that a child can have more than one mother and more than one father,” she said in a statement.

The laws received the backing of the Legal Affairs and Safety Committee in February 2023, which is headed by Labor’s Peter Russo, the federal member for Toohey.

The Liberal-National Party, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP), and the independent member for Noosa, Sandy Bolton, opposed the law.

“With everything that’s happening right now, we cannot believe the government is focusing on this,” said Robbie Katter of the KAP on Facebook. “Most people are worried about how to pay their rent or mortgage and worried about keeping themselves and their family safe from youth crime.”

He said the KAP did not support radical gender theory, adding that it was “harmful to vulnerable individuals (including those who choose to live a trans life, which is their prerogative) and corrosive to society overall.”

Transgender Movement Criticised

Other critics of the law include Sall Grover, founder of the women-only app Giggle.

She said the law would open the floodgates for more people to indulge in transgenderism.

“It’s a preposterous idea that you can just nominate whatever sex you are legally on your birth certificate whenever you want,” she previously told The Epoch Times.

“Imagine if that male comes out and says, ‘No, I’m female; you have misgendered and committed a hate crime against me,’” she said.

The Queensland government’s move comes after Victorian officials were criticised for allowing a transgender individual—who identified as a woman—to transfer from a male prison to a female one.

The individual also had a history of sexual violence.

“Single-sex prisons exist to protect the dignity, safety and privacy of female inmates,” wrote Rachael Wong, CEO of Women’s Forum Australia, in a newsletter sent to its members.

“Every effort should be made to ensure the safety and welfare of all prisoners, but housing males in women’s prisons—particularly dangerous male sex offenders—is not the answer.”

Transgenderism Not the Answer to Loneliness: Study

Studies have also indicated that younger people choosing to transition—who already struggle with mental conditions—are no better off after surgery.

“Our data indicate that transgender and gender-diverse people, who have undergone gender reassignment surgery feel lonelier,” according to a May 11 in the journal, Healthcare (Basel).

The study found that 31 percent of transgender-identifying people felt “dissatisfied” or “extremely dissatisfied” with life, while 17 percent said they were “satisfied,” with only one percent feeling “extremely satisfied.”

Further, transgenders were 1,290 percent more likely to describe themselves as “extremely dissatisfied” than “extremely satisfied.”