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Gender Identity and Reproductive Autonomy

Deconstructing sex, gender and roles

About the publication

The right to found a family is a fundamental right recognized by many international treaties and conventions. This is an evolving right, indicating that it is expanding and changing the meaning of other fundamental rights. In this sense, the development of this right has created the framework for a more democratic and equalitarian access to the right to procreate.  While blatant discrimination against trans and gender-variant individuals, such as compulsory sterilization in certain jurisdictions, is now being addressed, it is imperative that we guarantee trans persons the right to found a family under equal terms, that debates and discussions surrounding emerging ARTs are not confined to cisgender individuals, and that discourses also include trans, non-binary and other gender diverse individuals.

Purpose of the Publication

Gender identity and reproductive autonomy analyzes how the combination of the right to found a family with the right to benefit from scientific progress and access to it by any person regardless their sexual orientation or gender identity has generated a deconstruction of biology, sex, gender and roles.

This paper focuses on two main issues: 1) how the above rights should be guaranteed to trans people under equal conditions and 2) how the combination of these rights and new technologies are challenging concepts, roles, and relationships.

This paper was originally delivered as a keynote presentation by Dr. Lamm at the International WPATH Symposium in Buenos Aires, November 2018.

Recommendations

  • Move towards a world without legal sex
  • Bring awareness to the multiplicity of genders
  • Eliminate culturally constructed roles based on binary gender/legal sex

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Authors:

This paper was written by Eleonora Lamm and edited by Mauro Cabral Grinspan & Naomhán O’Connor.

Reference:

When referencing this report, we recommend the following citation:

Lamm, Eleonora (2019) Gender identity and reproductive autonomy. Deconstructing sex, gender and roles. GATE.

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