NSW Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages vs Norrie

The New South Wales Court of Appeal ruled that people do not have to be officially registered as male or female, after Sydney activist ‘Norrie’ (below) contested this law. The judges panel ruled “as a matter of construction … the word sex does not bear a binary meaning of ‘male’ or ‘female.’” This means that transgender, intersex and other queer-identified Australians are no longer forced to fit themselves into a narrow gender binary.

Continue reading “NSW Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages vs Norrie”
Two Asian people lie on grass, under the trans flag, which is made of light blue, light pink, and white

Trans Rights

I urge people not to hitch the wagon of trans rights to the idea of inborn, dyadic, neurological differences. Brains are extraordinarily complex and shaped by culture and experience over time. Gender identities are multiple, gender roles constantly evolving, and gender expression varies widely from individual to individual. Intersex people face huge obstacles, and framing us as the lucky group to be emulated denies our suffering. The solution to transphobia is not neurology, but political activism.

Cary Gabriel Costello, “On Trans Gender Identity and the ‘Intersex Brain’”
Continue reading “Trans Rights”