Tell the Australian Government to Give Norrie Back Hir Gender-free Documents!

The Issue

The Registrar of New South Wales sent Norrie May-Welby a birth certificate stating hir gender-- none. Then, under pressure from the attorney general's office, a representative from the Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages called hir and said they were cancelling the certificate.

"I am devastated by the news. It is a hideous, humiliating position to find myself in and makes a mockery of my human rights," May-Welby told Australian newspaper The Star Observer (http://www.starobserver.com.au/news/2010/03/18/norrie-backflip-a-breach-of-rights/22950).

May-Welby is not psychologically or physically a woman or man. Doctors have declared hir genderless, but much more importantly zie does not see these labels as fitting hir. Additionally, zie is concerned about traveling with documents declaring hir male or female and then being harrassed or detained for not fitting the description.

Tell the government of New South Wales to make good on their promise! Their original decision agrees with May-Welby's rights rights to self-determine hir social identity under the United Nations Charter of Human Rights.

avatar of the starter
J.S. BlalackPetition StarterJ writes about LGBT rights, with a focus on international issues. Last year she lived in Cairo, where she freelanced and wrote for an Egyptian magazine. During this time, she broke a story about an Egyptian film nearly censored for lesbian content (see the September issue of Curve). She has also worked with Egyptian NGO Better World. Juliet is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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This petition had 64 supporters

The Issue

The Registrar of New South Wales sent Norrie May-Welby a birth certificate stating hir gender-- none. Then, under pressure from the attorney general's office, a representative from the Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages called hir and said they were cancelling the certificate.

"I am devastated by the news. It is a hideous, humiliating position to find myself in and makes a mockery of my human rights," May-Welby told Australian newspaper The Star Observer (http://www.starobserver.com.au/news/2010/03/18/norrie-backflip-a-breach-of-rights/22950).

May-Welby is not psychologically or physically a woman or man. Doctors have declared hir genderless, but much more importantly zie does not see these labels as fitting hir. Additionally, zie is concerned about traveling with documents declaring hir male or female and then being harrassed or detained for not fitting the description.

Tell the government of New South Wales to make good on their promise! Their original decision agrees with May-Welby's rights rights to self-determine hir social identity under the United Nations Charter of Human Rights.

avatar of the starter
J.S. BlalackPetition StarterJ writes about LGBT rights, with a focus on international issues. Last year she lived in Cairo, where she freelanced and wrote for an Egyptian magazine. During this time, she broke a story about an Egyptian film nearly censored for lesbian content (see the September issue of Curve). She has also worked with Egyptian NGO Better World. Juliet is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Media inquiries

The Decision Makers

Attorney General of New South Wales
Attorney General of New South Wales

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Petition created on March 24, 2010