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Uruguayan legislators approve gender change as a "right"

Days after the Uruguayan Senate approved a bill that analysts say will legalize adoption by homosexual couples, the nation's Chamber of Deputies (its lower legislative house) has passed a measure to allow people to decide what their gender will be -- regardless of their actual sex, reports Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, Latin America Correspondent, LifeSiteNews.com.

The bill states that "everyone has the right to the free development of his personality regarding his own gender identity, independently of his biological, genetic, anatomic, morphologic, hormonal, assigned, or other sex."

After two years of identifying one's self as belonging to the opposite sex, and with the approval of an "interdisciplinary" committee of specialists, one will have the right to change one's sex legally. In the case of "sex change" operations, in which the patient is mutilated to resemble the opposite sex, the two year waiting period will not be required.

However, the bill prohibits people who have changed their "gender identity" from marrying a person of the same biological sex, according to a provision that has been added to the legislation. Although homosexuals can enter into "civil unions" according to Uruguayan law, they cannot "marry" -- a distinction that is largely a matter of terminology.

The Chamber of Deputies also added a provision requiring an individual to be at least 18 years old before changing his sex legally. Those who wish to switch back must wait five years.

The legislation, which was approved on September 15, will now return to the Senate where it is expected to be approved. It is supported by the socialist Broad Front coalition as well as other parties.

Uruguay has been in the vanguard of anti-family legislation in Latin America. It has legalized homosexual adoption and homosexual civil unions, and is on the verge of legalizing adoption by homosexual couples as well as unmarried heterosexual couples. It also recently announced that gays would be permitted to enter the armed forces.

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TAGS: Uruguay homosexual couples legislators gender change homosexual adoption traditional values

[09/25/2009]

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