The Equality Bill passed through NSW parliament’s upper house on Thursday night.
It will allow transgender people to change their birth certificates without having to undergo surgery.
The bill makes threatening to “out” an LGBTIQA+ person an offence.
The leader of the government in the upper house, Penny Sharpe, said the bill was the “next stop in a journey” towards improving the lives of LGBTQI+ people.
Ms Sharpe told parliament that schools, sporting teams or any other single-sex spaces would not be affected by the bill.
“This bill does not impact on women’s rights,” she said.
“There is nothing to be scared of here.”
Ms Sharpe said sporting teams were already given some exemptions to allow the lawful exclusion of transgender people.
And she dismissed suggestions a trans woman would enter a female bathroom and try to cause trouble.
“People who know women’s toilets know there’s not any open space there,” she said.
She said existing laws would continue to protect women if somebody entered a single-sex space with malicious intent.
The bill also makes threatening to “out” an LGBTIQA+ person an offence.
And it makes parentage orders available for children born via commercial surrogacy, if it’s deemed to be in the best interests of the child.
The opposition argued the change would encourage commercial surrogacy, which is illegal in NSW, and facilitate human trafficking.
Ms Sharpe acknowledged there were “serious issues” surrounding modern slavery and commercial surrogacy, but said the bill would protect children born via commercial surrogates who were already living in NSW.
[ED: I suggest those adversely impacted by these amendments, many of which have already been made in other states, write directly to Penny Sharpe outlining their experiences. For example, it is true that there are currently still exemptions for sport but thanks to the misleading AHRC sporting guidelines, they are not being relied upon to exclude males identifying as trans women. As a result women are being injured and disadvantaged in sport. There are also many cases demonstrating how women are harmed as a result of changes which mandate the inclusion of males who identify as women in women’s spaces. Those who are victims of the sexual and reproductive exploitation should also write directly to Ms Sharpe to educate her about these realities. Although this shocking Bill has already passed, Mr Greenwich has further amendments planned for the Anti-discrimination Act and other legislation. It is not too late to stop these from being passed.]
Extract:
‘And she dismissed suggestions a trans woman would enter a female bathroom and try to cause trouble.
‘”People who know women’s toilets know there’s not any open space there,” she said.’
Comment/Query
Do women’s loos in NSW not adhere to the principle that one should wash one’s hands having gone to the loo? Are there no basins in a ‘basin area’ in NSW women’s loos? If this is correct, NSW is failing to adhere to public health and safety standards, which is both extraordinary and concerning.