The highest court in Australia has determined that two transgender individuals can be recognized legally as men, despite not having undergone complete sex reassignment surgeries.
Support groups advocating for transgender rights have welcomed this ruling.
Australia joins a growing number of nations that have eased the restrictions concerning surgical requirements for gender determination.
The identities of the two individuals involved in this case remain undisclosed.
Each person has had breast removal surgery and has participated in male hormone therapy; however, they still possess some female reproductive organs.
Despite these changes, their attempts to legally transition to male were initially obstructed.
Following an appeal, the highest court in Australia has sided with them, asserting that an individual should be recognized as male or female based on their external features, not on their sexual anatomy.
Transgender advocacy groups have expressed their support for the ruling, which aligns Australia’s policies with those of South Africa, Britain, and several other European nations.
This decision follows an announcement last month by local authorities permitting transgender individuals to alter the gender listed on their passports without undergoing sex reassignment surgery.
