Sex description on official documents

[Nevelle]

As an intersex person, who has "come out" and no longer hides the fact that my body shape and figure is more "female" than "male", I find it a bit awkward when filling in official government documents (and also other forms from banks, etc) when they ask for your sex and only give two choices: male or female.

Although my official identity documents state that I am a "male" I identify more as a woman than as a man and dress accordingly.

Recently I had to complete a form and gave my sex as "male" as shown on my identity document.  The clerk returned it to me and told me to "change the sex to female as you have made a mistake".  Obviously, to him, I appeared to be female.  When I explained that the sex that I had stated on the form was that which I had been registered as on my birth certificate, he said that I should apply to have my official gender changed on my identity document.

I then applied for the change at the Home Affairs offices and was told that I would have to produce an affidavit from a plastic surgeon that he had performed permanent gender reassignment surgery on me and that I was now a "complete woman".  When I produced letters from my doctor to the effect that I was intersex and had ovotestis, I was informed that "current legislation in South Africa does not allow a person to alter their sex description unless they have undergone sex reassignment surgery by a registered plastic surgeon".

As a consequence I have now decided to tick both the "male" and "female" genders on official forms.  If the authorities don't like it they can go and jump at themselves.

Have any other intersex members of this forum had similar experiences and what did you do about it?

Love,

Nevelle

[rejennyrated]

Well I was PAIS, but oddly - perhaps even fortunately? I did not discover my condition until long AFTER I had undergone the required surgical procedures anyway! Whether my parents had hidden it from me or simply didn't know themselves I will never know for sure.

As far as your case is concerned I guess you could probably pay a surgeon who understands the intricacies of these things to certify you as female... although it might involve having surgery to remove the ovotestes.

I think, from what I know of the prognosis of such a condition, having them removed is almost certainly a wise precaution anyway if you want to live a long life - as there seems to be a frighteningly high risk of them becomming cancerous and killing you silently (ie you don't find out if they have gone malignent until it is way too late to operate!).

I don't know the exact precentage risk, but it is big - so in your position, if you are comfortable with identifying as female, which I am, I would take them out, get the paperwork done and take the HRT, there is simply no advantage to keeping them - and far too many potential problems (some of them legal and others lethal!)

[gothique11]

Yeah, I believe it's the same here -- you can't change the documents unless you've had SRS (even if you're intersex).

Even with me, with my birth certificate, despite the records showing a "correction" from Female-Male shorty after it was registered, I couldn't change it back to Female until I got SRS, and an affidavit from my SRS doctor and from a family doctor, and then also an affidavit from myself. Expensive! I still have to pay the filing fee, the legal is all done now. My birth certificate is the only document that still needs to be changing 'cause of the crazy amount of expensive legal documents I needed, but it's being taken care of as soon as I get money to file and hope that everything was done correctly and I won't have to re-do the letters, pay more fees. I know someone who had to do that 'cause there was a minor mistake in one of the letter's formatting.

I live in Canada, and it also varies province to province -- even with your regular ID. Some provinces require SRS before your drivers or picture ID gender is changed, some just require a letter stating you're transitioning.

Changing your name here is much easier. Fill out paper work, get your finger prints taken (so they make sure you're not wanted or a criminal or on probation), and pay them money. I didn't even have to involve any legal paperwork.

[Nevelle]

Dear Gothique,

Well, it appears that South Africa isn't the only country that has draconian laws relating to gender.

I recently met someone who is also intersex and who managed to get her identity document changed to "female" despite having lived as a woman for most of her life.  She started off by applying to the Home Affairs Department, was rejected and then appealed to the Minister, who also rejected her application.  She then took up the matter with her atourney who referred her to an advocate who appealed to the High Court.  This was also not successful.  Finally, her case was heard by the Constitutional Court which ruled in her favour.  She still had to reapply to Home Affairs and fight them to get a new identity document showing that she was female.  All of this cost her hundreds of thousands of Rands.

I am afraid that I do not have the financial resources to go through the same rigmarole and will, consequently, have to carry on being classified as a "male" despite the fact that I am living full-time as a woman.  I do not wish to undergo so-called "gender-correction."

Love,

Nevelle

[waynerob]

Hi there,
I am also located in Canada, Ontario to be exact. What province are you located in?
All my identification has my male name now and also states I am male on all of it except my birth certificate, it was a fluke/error in my favour.  I can't do anything until bottom surgery, all other surgery is done and I have been on T for almost 15 years now. To see me you would never know I was born female.

Take care,

Yeah, I believe it's the same here -- you can't change the documents unless you've had SRS (even if you're intersex).

Even with me, with my birth certificate, despite the records showing a "correction" from Female-Male shorty after it was registered, I couldn't change it back to Female until I got SRS, and an affidavit from my SRS doctor and from a family doctor, and then also an affidavit from myself. Expensive! I still have to pay the filing fee, the legal is all done now. My birth certificate is the only document that still needs to be changing 'cause of the crazy amount of expensive legal documents I needed, but it's being taken care of as soon as I get money to file and hope that everything was done correctly and I won't have to re-do the letters, pay more fees. I know someone who had to do that 'cause there was a minor mistake in one of the letter's formatting.

I live in Canada, and it also varies province to province -- even with your regular ID. Some provinces require SRS before your drivers or picture ID gender is changed, some just require a letter stating you're transitioning.

Changing your name here is much easier. Fill out paper work, get your finger prints taken (so they make sure you're not wanted or a criminal or on probation), and pay them money. I didn't even have to involve any legal paperwork.