An activist has taken to court to advocate for the rights of gender-neutral people and demand that the UK government adds a gender-neutral, ‘X’ category in passports.
According to human rights activist Christie Elan-Cane, current policies are “inherently discriminatory” by demanding that people choose from one of the two provided genders.
Following the advocate’s judicial review action being dismissed last year, three judges are now reviewing Christie’s case.
“This is an important case in the anxious context of the proper understanding and respect for the intimate, human rights of the affected class – persons whose gender identity is neither, or neither exclusively, male nor female,” Christie’s attorney Kate Gallafent told the court. “There is little which is more fundamental and deeply personal than an individual’s gender identity.”
For the last 25 years, Christie’s has been working tirelessly to advocate for the rights of non-gendered individuals to express themselves as they wish and be who they are on the papers as well.
As for the main milestone of their campaign, Christie aims to see passports feature an ‘X’ category, a change that would present a major turn point according to the activist.
Arguing that the current policies are breaching human rights, Christie explained how the European Convention on Human Rights dictates that all individuals have the right not to be discriminated against because of their gender.
According to the suit, the individuals belonging to the X category “face a choice between the degrading experience of applying for, bearing and using a passport that does not accurately reflect their gender identity, or forgoing the use of a passport at all.”
Defending their stance on the matter in a statement, Elan-Cane said:
“Legitimate identity is a fundamental human right but non-gendered people are treated as though we have no rights.
“It is unacceptable that someone who defines as neither male nor female is forced to declare an inappropriate gender in order to obtain a passport. The UK Government has consistently and consciously shown a determined unwillingness to accommodate non-gendered people’s legitimate needs.”
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Replaced!