Should non-binary people continue to be forced to be officially considered male or female? The Federal Council rules: Yes. On Wednesday, he spoke out against the introduction of a third gender – as Germany and Austria know it. There, people who do not belong to any gender can have an X or the word ‘diverse’ included in their passport.
That should not be possible in Switzerland – because the “social conditions” are not there, in other words: the Swiss people are not ready to accept it.
Opinion is reversed
The government – or rather the Ministry of Justice of Karin Keller-Sutter (58) – bases its rejection on the National Ethics Commission (NEK). The press release states: “The National Human Medicine Ethics Commission (NEK) also shares this attitude in its 2020 report.” In it she argues that the current regulations and practice are unsatisfactory, but that the social preconditions for the task of the binary gender model must first be created.
Only: that’s not true! Keller-Sutter’s department reverses the committee’s view. In its report, the NEK is of the opinion that it is best to dispense with official gender registration altogether. Since this would be accompanied by “far-reaching, also ethically relevant, consequences” that would also affect “the social conditions that must be present”, the committee recommends a multi-stage approach.
NEK is for the third gender
And then the NEK advises: “In a first step, the legal basis for a third registration option must be created.” For example, she argues for the introduction of a third gender, as confirmed by her chairman Andrea Büchler (54) on Radio SRF.
She said unequivocally on Thursday: “The current regulations do not sufficiently take into account the diversity of gender identities.” This should be corrected according to the ethics committee.
Keller-Sutter is sending the Federal Office ahead
Why the contradiction? Büchler cannot say. “The statement is visible,” she says. The Ministry of Justice, in turn, directs the Federal Bureau of Justice, which did the preparatory work for the decision of the Federal Council.
This speaks out. The multi-stage procedure proposed by the NEK in the report is “explained in detail and summarized in the press release”. In this respect, the opinion of the NEK is in line with the assessment of the Federal Council that the conditions for waiving any official gender registration are not yet sufficient.
“It’s Not Acceptable”
But that’s wrong again. The state government and the NEK only agree on waiving gender registration – but that’s where the similarities end.
The Basel Green National Council Sibel Arslan (42), who requested the report on the third gender, is shocked. “For the Bundesrat to spread false information and distort facts is unacceptable for a state under the rule of law,” she says. Citizens must be able to trust the government – but such maneuvers make it less credible.
Arslan criticizes that it is not the first time that the Federal Council has made statements that contradict the facts – even in the run-up to the votes on the Frontex referendum and the corporate social responsibility initiative, he had “spread untruths”. Arslan: “As a parliamentarian, I expect the government to stick to the facts – whether they suit you or not.”