Australian Bureau of Statistics to recognize Intersex and Androgynous people's right to declare their identity on the National Census to be held in August 2006.

Organisation Intersex International
www.intersexualite.org
21 February 2006

Australian Bureau of Statistics to recognize Intersex and Androgynous people's right to declare their identity on the National Census to be held in August 2006.

Chris Somers xxy, an Australian and International intersexed activist, has persuaded the Australian Bureau of Statistics to accept that people who were born biologically intersexed or androgynous and who do not feel comfortable in declaring themselves to be either male or female, no longer have to. Instead, if they wish, they may elect to declare their real biological and gender identity. Whereas the 2006 Census forms have all been printed at considerable cost to the Australian taxpayers, they will as a consequence not be reprinted to include the two new designator fields this time around. It is compulsory to fill in the Census by law.

In response to a letter sent to the ABS by Chris Somers xxy, Dave Nauenburg
Director, Population Census Development and Field Organisation, speaking on behalf of Mr Dennis Trewin, a CEO of The ABS, says: "the ABS has no intention to force or coerce respondents to lie about their sex. My advice to intersex people is that they can complete the sex question correctly by ticking none of the boxes provided for the question, and writing in the word "intersex", or "androgynous".

National Censuses provide valuable demographic data about the population and indeed some of this information may seriously impact those who are intersexed or androgynous in the areas of health and well being (e,g, Child, Youth and Aged Care), and have serious effects on the appropriate infrastructures, just as they do with any other person who is considered fully male or female.

Somers was recently asked by the intersexed activist and linguist Curtis Hinkle, founder of an international intersex organization based in Quebec with members from the world over, to be the Spokesperson for Intergender Issues and Chris accepted. The organization is
Organisation Intersex International
(Organisation Internationale des Intersexué-e-s)
www.intersexualite.org
Curtis Hinkle says:

Whereas Chris does not identify as either male or female, but rather as a completely different sex and gender which is intersex and/or androgynous or epicene; Chris is acutely mindful of others who feel comfortable within the gender and sexual divide. However, Chris is an advocate for change concerning the way in which gender and sexuality are perceived and is intent on breaking down the barriers to a greater flexibility concerning those who have been born different; so that they are no longer invisible through the debilitating taboos that reign the world over concerning those who are intersexed and/or androgynous. Chris Somers xxy is tertiary trained with undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications and is a Guest Researcher at The Combined Universities Centre of Rural Health in Geraldton Western Australia.

Contact Curtis Hinkle for further details at:
curt...@wmconnect.com