Australia's top court recognises 'neutral' third gender

[Neil]

Doesn't this belong in the gay thread?

I don't think it is about sexuality.

Gender and sexuality are linked, and this third-gender stuff is the same sort of mental illness that makes folks gay.

[Malthus]

So is it male, female, and needs mental help?

Apparently you have to have medical records to back up your claim:

Under the law, only a person who had undergone gender reassignment surgery could nominate themselves as "non-specific" after presenting medical evidence to back up their claims, she said.

Wow what a pain in the ass.  But then I think it is a bit ridiculous one is legally required to report their gender to officials.  Sounds like none of their damn business to me.

So "male", "female", and "none of your damn business" (the "Patty and Selma option")? 

Most places get around this by just asking how you want to be addressed. Though I suppose a department that is supposed to record births, deaths and marriages has some legitimate interest in knowing your gender and a lot of other intrusive personal details about you - like you birthdate and if you have any kids.

[Neil]

So is it male, female, and needs mental help?

Apparently you have to have medical records to back up your claim:

Under the law, only a person who had undergone gender reassignment surgery could nominate themselves as "non-specific" after presenting medical evidence to back up their claims, she said.

Wow what a pain in the ass.  But then I think it is a bit ridiculous one is legally required to report their gender to officials.  Sounds like none of their damn business to me.

Is it also ridiculous that you report your income to officials?

[garbon]

Doesn't this belong in the gay thread?

I don't think it is about sexuality.

Gender and sexuality are linked, and this third-gender stuff is the same sort of mental illness that makes folks gay.

No.

[Valmy]

Is it also ridiculous that you report your income to officials?

No.  But it would be ridiculous to be legally required report my shoe size to officials. 

[Valmy]

Most places get around this by just asking how you want to be addressed. Though I suppose a department that is supposed to record births, deaths and marriages has some legitimate interest in knowing your gender and a lot of other intrusive personal details about you - like you birthdate and if you have any kids.

Well sure.  And like 99% of people would happily give up that info but for the minority who have serious issues with either being male or female it seems silly to legally require them to choose or have some elaborate medical documentation.

[Malthus]

Most places get around this by just asking how you want to be addressed. Though I suppose a department that is supposed to record births, deaths and marriages has some legitimate interest in knowing your gender and a lot of other intrusive personal details about you - like you birthdate and if you have any kids.

Well sure.  And like 99% of people would happily give up that info but for the minority who have serious issues with either being male or female it seems silly to legally require them to choose or have some elaborate medical documentation.

Prevents identity problems. If you are officially recorded as a "man" in one place but as a "woman" somewhere else, just on your say-so alone, seems to me open for all sorts of abuses and problems.

[Neil]

Doesn't this belong in the gay thread?

I don't think it is about sexuality.

Gender and sexuality are linked, and this third-gender stuff is the same sort of mental illness that makes folks gay.

No.

Yes.

[Neil]

Is it also ridiculous that you report your income to officials?

No.  But it would be ridiculous to be legally required report my shoe size to officials.

Your shoe size is of limited use to society and can be changed.

[Valmy]

Prevents identity problems. If you are officially recorded as a "man" in one place but as a "woman" somewhere else, just on your say-so alone, seems to me open for all sorts of abuses and problems.

Serves the government right for making us fill out so many forms.

[Neil]

You know, most of the time Valmy is pretty sensible, save for his preference for the French over the British.  But every once in a while, you realize that he belongs in Texas.

[Malthus]

You know, most of the time Valmy is pretty sensible, save for his preference for the French over the British.  But every once in a while, you realize that he belongs in Texas.

Texas: the state where men are men, women are women, and Valmy is none of your damn business? 

[HVC]

Since it's kind of on topic, what the hell is this cis shit that's popping up lately.

[Valmy]

You know, most of the time Valmy is pretty sensible, save for his preference for the French over the British.  But every once in a while, you realize that he belongs in Texas.

Please explain to me the sense of forcing somebody to enter a gender if they do not want to.  I do not get the vital public interest.  I get if they go ahead and enter different genders all over the place, like Malthus suggests, but that is entirely a separate issue.

[Valmy]

You know, most of the time Valmy is pretty sensible, save for his preference for the French over the British.  But every once in a while, you realize that he belongs in Texas.

Texas: the state where men are men, women are women, and Valmy is none of your damn business? 

I am male.  But I am not one of the people who care about this.  If they do care why not just let them leave it blank?  Why go through all this bullshit of having to create third genders and have medical documentation and lengthy appeals of court cases that eventually reach a top  court?  What is sensible about that?  Talk about a waste of time.