The birth certificate bill (one which has already passed in four other Australian states!) passed 26-14 in the Victorian Upper House recently. This means trans folks will be able to update the stated 'gender' on their birth certificate without undergoing any reassignment surgery.
The tweet below is just one from the outpouring of love on social media the passing of the bill received.
Sometimes change scares people. I get that.
— Jackson Taylor MP (@JacksonTaylorMP) August 19, 2019
And I understand that some in our community may disagree with the change to the Births, Deaths & Marriages Act.
But for those in the LGBTQI+ community, this small change means a hell of a lot.#LGBTIQ #equality @EqualityAu #springst pic.twitter.com/lOflBN79Xk
It's another step in the right direction for the community and it means people struggling/coming to terms with their identity will have one less extra hurdle to jump over, a hurdle which very easily causes stress and embarrassment for a considerable number of people every day.
To be represented correctly on one's own birth certificate is a basic, yet very meaningful, symbol of acceptance.
