Children in Australia can now choose their own gender on birth certificates

Children will soon be able to choose their gender in Australia after lawmakers backed a new bill.

Most Australians can now change their gender on legal documents Down Under, even if they have not undergone surgery.

The state of Victoria, which includes the city of Melbourne, has become the fifth state in the country to allow people to alter the sex on their birth certificate.

Kids will also be able to officially change their gender or identify as non-binary, as long as they have permission from their parents.

Victoria's upper house passed the bill 26-14 on Tuesday and it will become law after receiving royal assent.

Minors will only have the opportunity to legally change their gender if a doctor or psychologist provides a statement supporting their application.

Tasmania, Northern Territory, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory have all approved similar bills.

Gender activists were delighted by the latest legislative achievement, Mail Online reports.

The existing law in Victoria meant that transgender people had to undergo sex reassignment surgery before being able to change their birth certificates.

Politicians backed the changes after activists argued that some people were deterred from having these operations because they are expensive and invasive.

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