As Western Australia’s Pride celebrations came to a close, national and local LGBTQ+ rights advocates voiced their frustration over the state government’s failure to fulfill its promise of abolishing the Gender Reassignment Board. The pledge to dismantle the board, made by the WA Government in December of the previous year, aimed to remove the obstacles faced by transgender and gender-diverse individuals seeking to update their birth certificates to align with their true gender identity.
Stevie Lane from Rainbow Futures expressed the community’s disappointment, stating, “People born in WA are trapped in an outdated system that still requires them to prove who they are in front of a board. For me, as a non-binary person, it’s a system that doesn’t even acknowledge my existence. Right now, there are hundreds of people across the state who are living in limbo. The Government made a commitment to the LGBTIQ+ community, and people have been expecting them to act on it.”
Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown emphasized that the reforms would bring Western Australia in line with the process available for Australian passports. She noted the significant delays in implementing the promised changes, saying, “It’s been almost 12 months since the WA government declared it would abolish the board as a priority issue. People have put on hold plans to change their birth certificate to avoid what can be a time-consuming, costly, and humiliating process.”
The continued existence of the Gender Reassignment Board means that transgender individuals may still face challenges, including the potential need to disclose their transgender status when applying for jobs, enrolling in schools or universities, accessing support services, or opening bank accounts.
Dr. Thomas Drake-Brockman, Chairperson of TransFolk of WA, highlighted the urgency of abolishing the board, stating, “The Board is an ongoing injury and impediment to the dignity and wellbeing of trans and gender diverse Western Australians. These reforms are too important to put off until after elections or to delay for political reasons.”
In addition to abolishing the Gender Reassignment Board, advocates also stressed the need for the state government to act on its commitment to reform the Equal Opportunity Act WA (1984) to ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals, including students and staff in religious schools, are protected from discrimination.
The LGBTQ+ community and its allies in Western Australia are eagerly awaiting action from the government to address these crucial issues and bring about meaningful change in the state’s policies and protections.