Cape Argus E-dition

Transgender and intersex legislation called for

KESHIA AFRICA keshia.africa@inl.co.za

THE LGBTQI+ community and organisations welcome their participation in a pivotal part of history as amendments to Act 49 are being discussed.

The Alteration of Sex Description and Sex Status Act currently excludesd the rights of transgender and intersex people.

The identity management policy currently being introduced by the home affairs has set out to rectify this.

LGBTQI+ advocacy groups Iranti and Gender Dynamix participated in discussions with Home Affairs earlier this month.

Intersex Project Officer for Iranti, Crystal Hendricks, said they were hoping to affect changes to human rights in South Africa with their recommendations to the amendments to Act 49.

Programmes manager at Gender Dynamix Anil Padavatan said the organisation stands in solidarity with the intersex community, in their struggle to get legislation enacted that will protect their rights to bodily autonomy and their sexual and reproductive rights.

“Many countries have banned infant intersex surgeries, except in the rare instances where these are necessary to treat severe, life-threatening medical conditions. South Africa needs to do so too.

“We are calling for efficient, accessible, non-discriminatory legislation that is aligned to the constitutional principles of bodily autonomy, freedom, equality and human dignity. It also needs to be effective against hate crimes and hate speech.”

Hendricks said it was a priority that Intersex Genital Mutilation (IGM) be put to an end.

“We need to prioritise open discussions with medical professionals around Intersex persons, their journeys in healthcare and mental healthcare and the inclusion of Intersex persons in society as a whole.”

Hendricks said she believed that the new legislation would be less pathologizing and Padavatan was hopeful for the same.

A prominent issue regarding the identity of transgender and intersex people is that legislation surrounding their human rights is often facilitated by people lacking the sensitivity to deal with it.

“We need sensitisation training to staff members in all organisations and to ensure that all intersex and transgender staffers feel safe in the workplace,” Hendricks said.

METRO

en-za

2021-11-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

http://capeargus.pressreader.com/article/281694028052479

African News Agency