Off the wire
• Tourism revenue pours in Thailand during Vegetarian Festival  • 58 red-crowned cranes hatched in NE China  • Cold front to bring temperature down in north China  • Urgent: Security Council slams deadly terrorist attacks on UN mission in north Mali  • Typhoon Chaba lashes Japan's west coast, prompts evacuation advisory for 30,000 people  • AU summit to be held in Togo to discuss maritime security  • Russia says no intention to compete with U.S. in Syria talks  • 1st LD: Hurricane Matthew batters eastern tip of Cuba  • Lao southern electrical grid further expanded  • Indian markets open higher  
You are here: 　 Home

Australian insurer first to offer third gender category to customers

Xinhua, October 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Perth-based health insurance company has become the first in Australia to recognize customers who do not identify as male or female, News Corp reported on Wednesday.

HIF, Australia's third-fastest growing health insurance company, said it will offer a third gender category on all its forms with the honorific Mx, pronounced "Mux" for those who do not want a traditional title such as Miss, Mr, Mrs, Dr, Prof or Rev.

All other member forms, paper and online, will be updated the word 'other' to include the third gender category, HIF managing director Graeme Gibson said.

He said the decision was made "following recent feedback from the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) and a confirmation among HIF's leadership that HIF is committed to tailoring its offerings to individual preferences and/or circumstances."

"HIF members may select the 'other' gender option if they choose to identify as neither male nor female, including ... those who are agender, andro­gyne, bigender, gender fluid, intersex, neutrois, non-binary, pangender or transgender," Gibson said.

At present, the Australian Passport Office already allows Australian citizens to identify themselves on their passports as M, F or X (others).

This year's census was also the first time the Australian government had offered a third gender category, despite the fact that it was still lagging on a decision to legalize same-sex marriages in the country.

Gibson said making these changes was an important way forward for HIF, to honour the company's "commitment to championing ­inclusion, diversity and equality in the community, and to keep evolving with societal changes." Endit