Spawned by this image, spotted on Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/xt2cu
Sex: Male or Female?
It sounds an easy question, but the UK's Identity and Passport Service evidently recognise some people may have problems with it.
They provide context-sensitive help for their online passport renewal form, and the help for the gender question reads thus:
You have clicked the help button for advice as to your gender. If you do not know your gender you cannot apply for a British Passport. If you need help to acertain your gender you should enlist the help of a family member or ask your GP to advise you. Post-operative transgender applicants must contact IPS for a full body inspection.
Apart from the fact they can't spell ascertain, that last sentence seems very strange - "must contact IPS for a full body inspection". Surely a written note on headed paper (or email from an appropriate .nhs.uk address) from your GP would suffice - unless anyone knows the reasoning behind this strange demand...
Comments
Full body scan
Perhaps they need you to come in for the bar code tattoo or microchip implantation? You'd think after the EU finally makes them change their laws they would let go of it? There must be a fear of any getting through unaccounted for. Some day down the road when everybody thinks this is all in the past, some man is going to propose to marry some woman and when they apply for a license an alarm will go off in some database saying the prince/politician, magistrate/whatever cannot marry this young lady because she is not what she appears to be, then the bureaucrats will be all smug feeling their paranoia was justified.
The People have been protected.
Its not an easy question for some
Given the elevation of security concerns, I can see why in some cases, an inspection maybe required. Although I suspect what it really means is that they will refer an applicant to a list of approved doctors to perform said inspection.
What the twitpic shows is the ignorance of the poster...M or F?
Not an easy question for some...what about people who are physically both?
And is it biological gender (still not reliable) or gender identity?
Poster ignorance
That was one of the things that led me to post this blog, as I know that for a small percentage of the population, the simple binary classifications of gender do not easily apply.
He was one of the most frequent "Twecklers" during the One & Other event last year, but I stopped following him as his chauvinistic attitude became apparent - I only picked this one up as a RT by someone I am following.
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
What the pasport form actually says -
This was copied from their form online help:
'If you permanently live in a different gender to that which you were born with, it may be possible for this acquired gender to be shown in your passport. Indicate your new gender here. You will need to submit:
- your birth certificate
- a letter from your hospital/consultant confirming you are to live permanently in your new gender
- any uncancelled passport
Due to the requirement for you to be living permanently in the gender that is to appear in your passport, it is not generally possible for transvestites to have a gender shown which they were not born into. However, consideration will be given to any application where a transsexual can provide evidence that she/he is living permanently in a changed gender.'
Angharad
Angharad
Oops!
Knowing that information, looking at the photo reveals clues it was probably Photoshopped:
1) Font and font size appear different to the rest of the text
2) The help text doesn't respect the right margin
Oops!
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Why?
"Due to the requirement for you to be living permanently in the gender that is to appear in your passport..."
Why?
What possible difference can that make to anyone?
The people who think up this garbage make me sick. Who made up this rule, and what possible purpose can it serve? It's meaningless.
And what's wrong with a transvestite who wishes to permanently live as the other gender? I'll bet there are a few out there.
NOW, where did I put my meds...
Penny
Remember the fifties
Long before the Apgar at least in Central Minnesota, a doctor was very smart at identifying a babies gender. Look bewteen the legs. if it does not match a picture of a male or female fix it so it does.
I feel much better now, lol
Don't government officals realize there are only two sexes but many genders?
Jill Micayla
May you have a wonderful today and a better tomorrow
Jill Micayla
Be kinder than necessary,Because everyone you meet
Is fighting some kind of battle.
yes please
remember the forms that actually asked for your sex?
The problem was that the male respondents often answered yes please....or in the case of many wives, not tonight, I've got a headache...