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Proposed legislation aimed at protecting members of the LGBTIQA+ community from discrimination, has won the backing of the NSW Government.

Independent MP Alex Greenwich first proposed the Equality Bill in 2023 and the government says it has since worked with Greenwich on a number of proposed amendments. 

The bill includes allowing people to change their registered sex without requiring surgery and making hatred for or prejudice against transgender, gender diverse or intersex people an aggravating factor in sentencing. 

The government says allowing people to register a sex change without surgery, brings NSW into line with other jurisdictions across the country. 

The government’s upper house leader Penny Sharpe says the Equality Bill will make NSW a safer and more inclusive place. 

“People in every other state of Australia are already able to change their sex without requiring surgery, and this legislation will bring us into line with the rest of the country. 

“As a government, we’ve been committed to equality for a long time. Supporting this bill is our latest step to ensure every citizen in NSW is valued,” she says. 

Attorney General Michael Daley has also spoken in favour of the changes.  

“As legislators, it is our job to reflect the views of the community, and in this instance, it is clearly time for these pieces of legislation to be updated,” he says. 

The amended bill removes measures that would stop private schools discriminating against gay or transgender teachers or students. 

But the bill remains contentious and faces opposition from within and outside parliament. 

Opposition MPs have reportedly been denied a conscience vote on the issue. 

At a press conference by opponents of the bill yesterday, Shadow Attorney General Alister Henskens expressed a number of concerns. 

“We believe it’s unacceptable that children under the age of 18 can have their sex changed on their birth certificate without their parents of guardians being informed or involved in the process,” Henskens was quoted as saying. 

Henskens claimed the legislation was moving too quickly and there were implications for the privacy of women’s spaces in sporting and other settings, something the government has denied. 

North Shore Liberal MP Felicity Wilson vowed to cross the floor on the issue. 

“Just because the party won’t give you a conscience vote, doesn’t mean that you don’t have a conscience,” Wilson told ABC Radio Sydney yesterday morning. 

“You get elected to represent communities and do what you think is right. So this is a very difficult decision for me but it’s the right thing for me to do,” she said.