A consortium of organisations representing transgender and intersex people around Australia today welcomed the High Court of Australia’s decision to uphold the appeal of two trans men who challenged the interpretation of the West Australian Gender Reassignment Act (2001), saying that they hoped the decision would set a precedent for the way similar laws around the country would be applied. Sally Goldner, spokesperson for TransGender Victoria said “The High Court ruled that the law should be applied in a beneficial way that makes life easier, not harder for people, and therefore that there was no justification for requiring people to have costly and unnecessary surgeries in order to have their sex recognised.” Goldner added that the decision “is in line with the findings of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Sex Files Report in 2009 which recommended that surgery should not be considered a necessary pre- requisite for the legal recognition of a change of sex.” Aram Hosie, spokesperson for the WA Gender Project said “Previously transsexual people in Western Australia, as in other parts of the country, have been unable to legally amend their sex without invasive, medically unnecessary surgeries that may be unwanted, impractical or unattainable.” “This has resulted in difficulties in proving ones identity on essential documentation, a loss of privacy, and the risk of exposure to discrimination, harassment and sometimes even violence.” Hosie added that “in Western Australia in particular, a person’s inability to legally amend their sex leaves them without any legal discrimination protections.” “The High Court’s decision will now make it much easier for transsexual people in Western Australia to obtain documentation that accurately reflects their identity and physical appearance. In turn, this will further help those same people to more easily obtain discrimination protection under West Australian law.” Peter Hyndal, spokesperson for A Gender Agenda said he hoped that the decision would “set a precedent about the way that laws governing the recognition of sex in Australian should operate, and so help make life easier for transsexual men and women in Western Australia and the rest of the country.” “To this end, we call on other State and Territory Governments around Australia to reflect the High Court’s decision in their interpretation and administration of the law and to act on the recommendations of the Australian Human Rights Commission Sex Files report” Hyndal added. “We would also like to acknowledge that this historic case would not have been possible without the generous pro bono support of Freehills. Freehills commitment to this case over more than three years demonstrates their support for human rights in Australia, and we are very grateful for their efforts. We congratulate AH and AB – and also people like Conor Montgomery in NSW – for their courage and determination in tackling unfair situations. They make a huge difference for the lives of many other people in standing up for what they believe.” – ends – The full high court decision is available online at: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/2011/42.html

Dr. Walter Bockting, the Association’s President, said, “For transgender health in the United States, the release of the Institute of Medicine report on LGBT health is a true milestone. The fact that the report acknowledges that transgender health is an important area of study and intervention holds much promise for improving access to quality transgender care. As WPATH President, it was an honor to serve on the Committee that prepared this report. Now is the time for our members and the larger scientific community to help carry out one of the report’s main recommendations: To implement a research agenda that expands all aspects of the evidence base for transgender-specific health care.”

Disparities in health and access to health care for transgender people have been documented in a number of needs assessment studies and community surveys, but a lack of recognition has limited the applicability of these early studies. The IOM report calls for “a comprehensive research training program that would raise awareness of LGBT health issues among researchers.” WPATH agrees that such a program would greatly benefit transgender and transsexual people and lead to better application of research, and better health outcomes for the clients and patients our Association members serve. We look forward to seeing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) response to the recommendations in the report, and are hopeful that the report’s recommendations will be implemented in the near future.

WPATH

A prosecutor told the court that when Porter learned Dow was
transgender he shouted, “Get up or I’ll drag you out or knock you out.
You’re a mutant. What a state. You look like a freak.” After coming to the bedroom door, Porter reportedly elbowed Dow and told her she was
“disgusting” before being ushered off the property.

According to the article, Porter admitted to arriving uninvited at the
residence and insisting that Dow vacate the bedroom, as well
“breaching the peace by behaving in a threatening or abusive manner
likely to cause fear and alarm.”

Porter’s attorney, who admitted that his client had been drinking heavily, described Porter’s behavior as “immature.”

While the standard fine for breach of the peace is £200, Porter was fined £350, the additional £150 for the transgender prejudice.

The onset of puberty is often a very distressing time for any such person. In the case of a person born with a female body who identifies as male, the onset of puberty introduces menstruation, a change of shape and breast growth.

For the child born with male genitalia that are foreign to the felt sense of self, they face the onset of facial hair, muscle growth and the masulinastion of the face which can only be change by drastic surgery later in life.

If you need an inspiring example of what ‘doing nothing’ can avoid watch this:                                      http://tinyurl.com/3vuwpbf

The South African athlete won the women’s world 800m title in Berlin two years ago and was subjected to disgraceful questioning and allegations over her gender identity. She then withdrew from public view whilst the IAAAF looked into her position.

The athlete clocked a personal best time of 1 min 55.45 seconds in Berlin but then was forced to ‘abstain’ from competition.

Even now, despite being cleared to compete, she is referred to as an hermaphrodite and a plethora of other adjectives in a bid by the world’s Press to put her in a box and marginalise her because she appears not to be ‘normal’ whatever that word is supposed to mean.

Hopefully she’ll now be judged by her performance rather than because she doesn’t fit in with a stereotype

Friday, August 26, 2011

Intersex Australians Must Join Sex Offender Registry To Get Medication

Cyproterone Acetate, better known as Androcur, is an anti-androgen
medication taken by both male and female intersex individuals. A
change in Australian health care policy, though, means that intersex
people–those born with both male and female biological traits–can
only get Androcur by signing themselves onto a potential sex
offenders’ list. The same is true for female-indentified
transsexuals, who take the drug to suppress male hormones.

The problem is that the government only approves the drug for two
reasons: for prostate cancer, and for registered sex offenders, since
the androgen prohibitor reduces one’s sex drive.

According to the Australian affiliate of the OII (Organisation
Internationale des Intersexués):

Some intersex individuals need anti-androgen medication. Because
those medicines are not recognized treatments for the specific
diagnosis the only path to that medication is to register the intersex
person in question as a potential sex offender at the Therapeutic
Goods Administration <http://www.tga.gov.au/> in Canberra. That
register also contains the names of numerous transsexual individuals
who can only gain access to anti-androgens because of this
inappropriate medication protocol. This is an outrage against those
who are different!!

In order to get the medication, the doctor must ask whether you’re
willing to on the offenders’ registry, and those who say no might be
denied the prescription. Then, in order to get it, the doctor has to
call the Therapeutic Goods Administration to see whether or not they
approve.

We are not in the business of listing psychotherapists and counsellors because;
We cannot know which style of therapy is best suited for your individual needs.
The individual practitioner’s expertise is more important than their theoretical approach
Qualifications will carry different emphasis depending on the individual therapists governing body. E.g. membership of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) has a requirement that members have a minimum diploma level that is not too far short of MSc standard. Training courses have to be approved by them.

Membership of British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) does not have the same high requirement at membership level but they have an accreditation process for members who choose to become accredited by them.
In short, you should not necessarily exclude a practitioner because they are not full members of UKCP providing they are accredited by BACP. Conversely, you should not necessarily ignore a practitioner who is not accredited by BACP as they may be registered by UKCP.
You would, in our view, be wise to seek a registered member of UKCP or a practitioner who is accredited by BACP.
So to answer the above questions:
Why would I want to see a therapist in the first place?

Not everyone will feel the need or wish to use the services of a therapist. However, effective therapy is
not about diagnosis and is certainly not about cure. A good practitioner will help you explore and make
meaning of your experience and your felt sense of self.

The objective should not be to make judgements about your suitability for transition and the practitioner should not be invested in whether you do or do not transition. They should, however, be invested in helping you decide whatever is right for you as an individual. They should help you in becoming emotionally grounded and strong enough to make the right choices for you.
For others it may simply be about you obtaining much needed emotional support at a challenging time.
What style or orientation of therapy should I choose?

Whilst we do not presume to judge one therapy genre over another we suggest that you pick a style that encourages exploration and respects your felt sense of self (or phenomenology if you’ll excuse the jargon.) A purely reflective style may be helpful for support but may take longer for exploration.
The following links will provide definitions of the many therapeutic orientations: ‐

http://www.bacp.co.uk/seeking_therapist/theoretical_approaches.php

http://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/different_types_of_psychotherapy.html

Having looked at this more closely, we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have….
Where can I find a practitioner?

We suggest you check out
The UKCP at http://members.psychotherapy.org.uk/find‐a‐therapist/
and the BACP at http://wam.bacp.co.uk/wam/SeekTherapist.exe?NEWSEARCH
You can search for criterion that fits including experience in the field. Sadly the BACP use the phrase ‘sexual identity’.
How do I know which practitioner to choose and what questions should I ask?

The therapeutic relationship is both vital and very much about chemistry but some fundamental requirements should be sought.
Having narrowed the search by checking with the above websites you might ask them
How long have they been practising?
What experience do they possess in the field of gender identity?
What do they think they can offer you?
Are they prepared to see you on a session to session basis so that you can leave if it isn’t working for you?

You should get a clearer picture by the time you have gone through this check list but please call the office if you would like to discuss any of this further,
I make no apology for suggesting you go through this process but want you to get the best possible support.