Western Australian politicians will be trying to ram through The Births, Deaths, Marriages Registration Amendment (Sex or Gender Changes ) Bill 2024 this week. This is a bill that aims to get rid of the Gender Reassignment Act 2000 and The Gender Reassignment Board, as well as making it easier for people to “change their sex.”

It is important to note that no one on earth can change their sex. Sex is evidenced by the presence of chromosomes in every single cell of a persons’ body. It is also clearly observed by the reproductive system and whether it is geared to the production of large or small gametes (sperm or egg).

No one has ever changed their sex. A dependence on hormone drugs or surgery can mask a person’s sex or partially imitate the opposite sex, but it cannot change sex.

WA politicians want to pass the bill so there is  “a new streamlined administration process” via the Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, to allow a person to change the record of their sex. It is based on a lie.

The bill will also allow people to record their sex as ‘non-binary’ as well as ‘indeterminate/intersex’, ‘male’, and ‘female’.

Premier Roger Cook stated that the reforms support his Government’s “ongoing commitment to equality for all Western Australians”.

“This follows our recent commitment to developing WA’s first LGBTQIA+ inclusion strategy, which will promote inclusiveness and wellbeing and ensure LGBTQIA+ people experience full social and economic participation,” he said.

“Everyone deserves the respect and dignity of being recognised as themselves, to have their legal identity align with their lived identity. 

“These important reforms will mean that trans and gender-diverse members of our community will no longer be required to undergo gender affirming surgery to change their gender on their birth certificate, removing the outdated barriers that deny people identity documents that accurately reflect their gender.”

Gender identity is no more than an expression of feelings or personality. It is not measurable or standardised. Sex is immutable and unchangeable. A person can express themselves however they please, but to change legal identity records for the sake of feelings is ridiculous. Sex markers are important for the development of policies in health care, the justice system and public policy.

It is incredibly embarrassing that lawmakers think that by writing legislation, they can ignore science and reality. Their laws won’t change the facts. No one can change their sex. These laws however will put women and children in harm’s way. Self-identification laws encourage young people down pathways that cause irreversible harm, and put women in unsafe and unfair situations without the ability to object.

Refreshingly, the Liberals led by Libby Mettam have said they will oppose the bill.

This comes just weeks after announcing the Liberals will ban puberty blockers if they win government in future.