Overseas born trans, non-binary and intersex people need our correct name and gender recognised in Aotearoa too!
All overseas born trans, non-binary or intersex people living in Aotearoa are invited to this community discussion, especially People of Colour – including people on temporary visas such as international students, migrant workers, refugees, and asylum seekers.
Are you a trans, non-binary or intersex person living in Aotearoa but born overseas?
Have you had difficulties getting your correct gender and name recognised on official NZ documents or records?
Rainbow Path warmly invites you to join our community discussion on Zoom, that will be held over two evenings in June. You are very welcome to come to either or both sessions:
- Dates: Thursday 16th June and Tuesday 21st June
- Time: 6.30-8pm
- Register for the Zoom link: https://forms.gle/Y3BwnGF3s6NhCFNn8
If you can’t make those times, you can still register to send us any info or questions – and we will send you an email update after the sessions.
Rainbow Path has been lobbying hard for trans, nonbinary and intersex asylum seekers and refugees to be able to get our correct name and gender on Identity Documents (IDs) available to us – the Certificate of Identity and the Refugee Travel Document. We worked with other community organisations, especially Gender Minorities Aotearoa, on that campaign.
This is so we have an ID we can use in our daily life, including to open a bank account, get an IRD number, or when we have to prove who we are to a healthcare provider, an employer, landlord, WINZ or other government agencies, etc. Without a usable ID, every aspect of our life is made significantly harder.
We recognise that the issues are broader than the Certificate of Identity and the Refugee Travel Document. They also affect many other trans, non-binary and intersex migrants, especially those who are unable to get their gender and name recognised in their country of origin.
We understand that the barriers we face also differ depending on our immigration status – whether we are permanent residents, or citizens, or on temporary visas such as student visas and work visas. Racism also affects how often many of us are asked to show IDs.
Last year a law was passed that will make it easier for trans and non-binary people born in NZ to change the gender on their NZ birth certificate. The government is looking at different solutions for people born overseas to have our correct gender and name recognised here. The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) is consulting with trans, non-binary and intersex migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in late June and early July.
Before our communities head into that government consultation process, Rainbow Path is organising two community discussions with others from our trans, non-binary and intersex migrant and refugee communities. We want to:
- Identify the range of different barriers we face, and
- Explore the potential solutions we need in order to have IDs we can use here in Aotearoa.
This way, we will be able to better support each other and raise constructive ideas during the government’s consultation process.
All overseas born trans, non-binary or intersex people living in Aotearoa are welcome, especially People of Colour – including people on temporary visas such as international students, migrant workers, refugees, and asylum seekers.
None of the personal details you share on these community discussions will be shared with anyone not on the Zoom call. You can also join the Zoom calls with your video off if that feels safer for you. Everyone on the call will be reminded how important it is to not share information that could disclose another person’s identity. It will be your choice whether you then join the later calls with people from the Department of Internal Affairs and what you choose to share then.
We are also asking a few allies/resource people to join the Zoom calls, because they support people born overseas to change details on NZ documents.
Please note: This Zoom call won’t focus on changing details on overseas documents as the New Zealand government has no power to change those. However, sometimes getting an official document issued by the New Zealand government may help with that process. That is how some permanent residents have used a Declaration as to Sex from the New Zealand Family Court. That option will disappear when the new law starts in June 2023, so permanent residents will also need a new solution.
If you have any more questions, you can contact us on rainbowpath@protonmail.com
Rainbow Path NZ 