In 2020, ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury introduced legislation overhauling the births, deaths and marriage registration act to allow children under the age of 18 to officially change their gender identity and their name.
The reforms – which came into effect on August 20, 2021 – established a pathway for a child as young as 12 to change their name and gender without parental consent.
The ACT government told The Australian that since the changes entered into force, “approximately 30 young people between 12 and 17 have registered a change of sex.”
A child under the age of 12 may also apply in “exceptional circumstances” but only with the consent of one person with parental responsibility.
For a child aged 16 and over, the process is relaxed and they are able to amend their birth certificate by applying to the Registrar-General for a change of given name and recorded sex.
Mr Rattenbury said no parental consent was needed in these cases but young people would still need to satisfy the usual requirements for seeking a change of registered sex, including the provision of a statement from a doctor or a psychologist.
The ACT Liberals have opted not to make an issue of the reforms, with Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee telling The Australian: “I think the issues that resonate broadly in the community are the practical issues.”
So brave, so proud etc.
“In exceptional circumstances” once meant as a mature adult and with years of intense psycho therapy when nothing else had worked rather than with a note from your internet sourced local woke psychologist who can’t wait to beam and dazzle you with their mastery of the art of the pronouns.
I have literally sat in a mental health setting (Albury Wodonga Health actually) and listened whilst a 20 something psychologist gave a 30 min case presentation complete with all the mangled English that ‘correct use of pronouns’ can cause whilst the rest of the staff sat with rapt attention and then, with tears in their eyes, almost applauded.
The same place incidentally that had another psychologist present a client as a 26 year old man 6 months pregnant without batting an eye.
So a letter from your psychologist (or psychiatrist as the same place above supplied both) doesn’t really add up to very much despite sounding so impressive to those without much education or when screamed at us in the media.
The other thing is that a lot of people do not know the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist for starters.
ACT, with it’s brave new world laws including raising the age of criminal responsibility to 12 and then automatically to 14 and it’s decriminalising of methamphetamine ‘all you can carry as long as it’s less than 6 deal bags’ appears hell bent on carrying out some very interesting social engineering with the ‘unintended consequences’ (though foreseeable) being potentially very ugly and damaging not just to children.