User:AndrewD/PolicyChanges TransgenderAndIntersexIssues

Pre-preamble
The issues affecting transgender and inter-sex persons, cut a narrow swath across a large number of Pirate Party Australia policy areas. These issues are frequent sources of public enquiry. This policy statement outlines the concerns, followed by a cross reference to related inclusions in other policy statements.

Preamble
The diversity of and within gender is still little understood and accepted in wider society, which can cause all sorts of problems. Social, bureaucratic and possible medical challenges of transitioning from the gender one is assigned to at birth to the gender one identifies with are exacerbated by prejudice and discrimination in most levels of society, even family and close friends. As a consequence, the issues transgender people face are much like those that gay population were and are still facing: being beaten, thrown out of home, losing work and many other issues. The prevalence of male to female transsexualism is estimated to be in the range of 1:250 to 1:200, in the general population Being transgender isn't just a case of feeling attracted to what society deems the wrong gender, it is people assuming from your birth that you are something other than you, some people feel for a long time "Something isn't right, but I don't know what" and some people go along the lines of "I wish I was a girl/boy/different gender" then finding out either sooner or later it is possible. Trying to differ from what society has deemed your gender at birth to be, causes momentous challenges for people in such situations.

One of the first question asked when a baby is born is whether it's a boy or girl. One of two possible answers is usually given, based on physical appearance. The newborn is assigned a sex, which is consequently formalised in the official identity documents of the newborn. This predominant culture of categorising newborns into one of two sexes, with their associated genders, can cause several issues in a person's life.

Gender Divergence
Some people realise sooner or later that they don't identify with the gender associated with the sex assigned to them at birth, i.e. if their gender 'diverges' from their assigned sex. These transgender (or transsexual, non-binary, agender,...) people suffer from being put into a metaphorical box they don't belong in by society, which can cause psychological issues from an early age. When they decide to transition to another gender to show their true or newly found identity, they often face discrimination and violence even by those closest to them.

While it would by far not solve all issues for inter-sexed and transgender people, removing the requirement for an assigned sex would benefit many people in society. The shift needs to be more than just a formality though. There needs to be a shift in how gender is understood: differentiated in people's understanding from a person's sex. At the same time, understanding of both sex and gender needs to be expanded from a strict binary, both medically and in wider society. Need to be able to have legally-recognised gender changed without sexual-reassignment-surgery as a mandatory prerequisite once it is decided that you are suffering gender dysphoria, surgeries are no longer elective (i.e. will be covered by Medicare).

Inter-sex Conditions
Some people are born inter-sexed. This means that they have primary sex characteristics from both the male and female sexes. Some inter-sex conditions are discovered soon after birth, while others might take years to discover. In either case, 'corrective' surgery may be proposed and secrecy of the condition is frequently recommended. It is our view that medical interventions of conditions which do not harm a person's health should be outlawed until the person with the condition is of an age where they can consent to the procedure. People born inter-sexed should not be made to feel ashamed of their condition.

Policy Cross References

 * Our Bill of Rights Policy (link to relevant policy section here) supports the constitutional recognition of the equality of gender and sex diverse people.
 * Modify the current Bill of Rights policy as follows:
 * Change "including gender, age, sexual orientation, race, religion (or lack thereof), social sub-cultural and political affiliation."
 * to:   "including gender, age, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion (or lack thereof), social sub-cultural and political affiliation."


 * Our Pharmaceutical Patent Policy (link to relevant policy section here) promotes a reduction in the costs of lifelong drug requirements of transgender people.
 * Insert statement in Policy: "** Many drugs used that may be a lifelong requirement for transgender people remain perpetually overpriced due to the current approach to pharmaceutical patents "


 * Our Asylum Seekers and Refugees Policy (link to relevant policy section here) support fair and respectful processing of asylum seekers fleeing oppression for their gender/sex/orientation.
 * Insert the following section Titled "Changes to Immigration and Asylum Seeker processes regarding claims of gender/sex/orientation based oppression "
 * Training for immigration staff on gender/sex/orientation variations context, including privacy needs and processes.
 * Informing asylum petitioners of the need to state the basis of their claim early, even if that does not mean they need to substantiate it at that time.
 * Assign an advocate that speaks their language.
 * Protocols and processes for managing privacy need to be in place, including not making it obvious that the special case privacy measures are being taken.
 * In cases where there is no currently physical determinant to establish the condition (e.g. Gender disphoria is not something that can be tested for directly), a medical professional should be made available to determine true status rather than a general immigration officer mindlessly following process.


 * Our Prison Reform Policy (link to relevant policy section here) supports diverse gender appropriate prison assignment and HRT continuation.
 * Insert the following text into the Prison Reform Policy
 * Based on assessment and certification by trained medical/psychiatric professionals, transgender prisoners should be placed in correct prisons according to their preferred gender
 * Transgender prisoners who were taking Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) prior to imprisonment should be ensured of continuation of that treatment in detainment.


 * Our Marriage Policy (link to relevant policy section here) supports the recognition of the civil union of ANY two persons.
 * Requires no change to existing policy do achieve this.


 * Our Health Policy (link to relevant policy section here) recommends adoption of the UK NHS recommendations for Gender Dysphoria.
 * Insert the following into our Health Policy:
 * Adopt UK NHS recommendations and specifically WPATH as a starting point for treatment approach to transgender persons, with practice guidelines sourced from the Royal College of Psychiatrists
 * Support the long term coverage of Hormone Replacement Therapy by Medicare.
 * Support the coverage by Medicare of sexual reassignment surgery where recommended by medical and psychiatric professionals.
 * Outlaw normalising surgery for inter-sex infants and children unless medically necessary (as determined by family court ), pending informed individual consent as an adult.


 * Our Education Policy (link to relevant policy section here) endorses the Safe Schools programme.
 * Insert the following into out Education Policy:
 * We endorse the current "Safe Schools" policy and education programmes.
 * We recommend that the Safe Schools programme be extended by bring in Safe Schools representatives to engage with recurring bullying problems and the individual students involved. Use Safe Schools representatives in the employment processes for school counsellors, with the goal to eventually have good local skills in every school.


 * Our Civil Rights Policy (link to relevant policy section here) supports the simplification of gender change in government identification documents.
 * Insert the following into our Civil Rights Policy:
 * Adopt the current liberal conventions used in New Zealand for gender identify change . New Zealand allows passports to use a non-binary gender option, X. You can change it simply by applying for it.