十一月起德國將有「第三性別」
Germany to Offer Third Gender Option on Birth Certificates from November
(Babble, August 27, 2013) —The option of selecting "blank", in addition to the standard choices of "male" or female" on birth certificates will become available in Germany from November 1. The legislative change allows parents to opt out of determining their baby's gender, thereby allowing those born with characteristics of both sexes to choose whether to become male or female in later life. Under the new law, individuals can also opt to remain outside the gender binary altogether.
從今年11月開始，德國人的出生證明書上除了標準的「男性」或「女性」選項外，還增加了「空白」選項。此項法案變更允許家長先退出選擇自己寶寶的性別，允許那些出生時具有兩性特徵的孩子選擇在以後的生活中成為男性還是女性。根據此項新法，個人也可以選擇保留兩性以外的「空白」選項。
Germany is the first country in Europe to introduce this option -- Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung is referring to the change as a "legal revolution". It remains unclear, however, how the change will affect gender assignment in other personal documents, such as passports, which still require people to choose between two categories -- "F" for female and "M" for male. German family law publication FamRZ has called for the introduction of a third category, designated by the letter "X".
德國是歐洲第一個推出此選項的國家。慕尼克的南德意志報稱這個變化為「法律革命」。但是，這個變化對其他個人檔——如護照，仍需人們在「F（女性）」和「M（男性）」之間選擇——的性別分配會產生什麼影響尚不明確。有一德國家庭法律刊物FamRZ則呼籲引入第三類別，並指定為字母「X」。
The law was passed back in May, but has only now been reported on, following an article this month in FamRZ -- just six weeks after Australia became the first country in the world to introduce legal guidelines on gender recognition. Under the Australian system, which applies to all personal documents, individuals can select the third category irrespective of whether or not they have undergone sex reassignment surgery or hormone therapy.
該法案早在5月就已通過，但是直到澳大利亞成為世界上第一個提出有關性別識別法律準則的國家6個星期後，FamRZ才發表文章，開始報導德國的修改法案。根據澳大利亞的分類原則，無論是否經歷過變性手術或賀爾蒙療法，個人都可以選擇第三分類，此法適用於所有個人檔。
Brussels Under Pressure
布魯塞爾也感受到壓力
Finland is the only EU member state aside from Germany to have made significant progress in the area of third gender recognition. Despite its efforts, bureaucratic hurdles in the Nordic country have meant that there is still no concrete legislative change in sight.
除德國以外，芬蘭是唯一在第三性別識別領域取得顯著進展的歐盟成員國。這個北歐國家雖然做出了努力，但是因為存在官僚障礙，目前還看不到具體的立法變化。
According to Silvan Agius, policy director at human rights organization ILGA Europe -- the European chapter of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association -- the European Union is lagging behind on the issue. Though Brussels commissioned a report on trans and intersex minorities in 2010, and has since attempted to coordinate efforts to prohibit gender discrimination, progress has been halting.
據ILGA Europe——國際女同性戀、男同性戀、雙性戀、變性人和陰陽人者協會歐洲分會——政策主任Silvan Agius說，歐盟在這個問題上行動落後。雖然布魯塞爾2010年委託撰寫有關少數變性人和雙性人的報告，而且努力協調禁止性別歧視的工作，但是一直沒有取得進展。
"Things are moving slower than they should at the European level", says Agius. "Though Brussels has ramped up efforts to promote awareness of trans and intersex discrimination, I would like to see things speed up."
「按照歐洲的標準，事情進展太慢了。」Agius表示，「儘管布魯塞爾已經加足馬力，努力促進人們對變性人和雙性人歧視問題的認識，我還是希望看到事情進展加速。」
The subsequent EU report on potential changes to European Union law, which was published in 2012 and co-authored by Agius, found that discrimination against trans and intersex people was still "rampant in all EU countries."
Agius參與撰寫的歐洲聯盟法於2012年發表。歐盟有關修改該法可能性的後續報告認為，歧視變性人和雙性人的情況「在所有歐盟國家都依然猖獗。」
"Germany's move will put more pressure on Brussels," Agius concludes. "That can only be a good thing."
Agius認為，「德國的舉動將對布魯塞爾施加更大的壓力。而那只會是件好事。」
留言列表
