From July 1, New South Welshman (NSW) will be able to legally change the official gender on their birth certificates even without going through a sex change operation.
Applicants will also have the option of updating their official gender to “non-binary” or “non-specified.”
The update is being made under the Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Act 2024 and overrides existing rules requiring a “sex affirmation procedure.”
Applicants now just need to supply a statutory declaration, and a statement from another adult who has known them for a minimum of 12 months who believes they are making the change “in good faith.”
Australian Feminists for Women’s Rights criticised the change, saying it was rushed by the Labor government.
“It doesn’t matter what the law says, it doesn’t matter what a piece of paper claims,” the group wrote on X.
“It is self-evidently true that a man is never a woman, a woman is never a man, and no one has ever changed sex.”
Residents of all Australian states and territories are able to change their sex on birth certificates, though requirements differ.
