No intersex toilets or checkboxes

The Human Rights Commissioner has rejected sensational news reports that he was secretly proposing a third intersex category on official documents.

This is incorrect, Commissioner Graeme Innes said this week.

The idea had been raised on the Commissioner’s gender diversity blog, set up earlier this year so people from gender diverse backgrounds could discuss existing discrimination.

The initial proposals for reform put up on the blog included a suggestion for a category of intersex for legal documents. However, as raised with us on the blog, this is not an acceptable proposal for a variety of reasons.

[It] instead proposes to recommend that people be able to choose male, female or unspecified.

The full report from his sex and gender diversity project will be available early next year.