MEDIA RELEASE: Wellington - June 8th 2023
A poll of New Zealand voters undertaken by Curia Market Research on behalf of Speak Up For Women (SUFW), shows that sex denialism (gender identity ideology) is a minority view in Aotearoa New Zealand. The poll was conducted between May 2nd and 7th 2023 with 1000 eligible voters - poll details are at the end of this release.
The majority of respondents did not support a key aspect of sex denialism, the introduction of sex self-ID in law, a change that was supported by all political parties in Parliament in 2021.
We also polled the respondent’s political affiliations (National, Labour, Act, Greens) and provided this information to the party leaders.
Changing a birth certificate on demand to the opposite sex (or “non-binary” or no sex).
Most respondents did not support a person being allowed to change the sex marker on their birth certificate to the sex they say they are, or want to be, via statutory declaration only (sex self-ID).
Do you approve of the law change (known as sex self-ID) to allow anyone to change the sex on their birth certificate with no medical or surgical changes?
Approval / Disapproval rates by probed voting preference.
Since 2018, SUFW has campaigned to protect women-only spaces.
While from June 15 2023 people in our country will be able to change their birth certificate sex marker with a statutory declaration, there is provision in the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021 (BDMRRA) to establish a person's sex via means other than the birth certificate.
Clause 79(2) in the BDMRRA 2021 maintains the right of service providers and public and private agencies to continue to use information other than the birth certificate to establish a person's sex. Vitally, it differentiates between sex and gender in the law, specifically as it relates to the Human Rights Act 1993.
We support the addition of this clause in the BDMRRA (2021)
However we continue to oppose the sex self-ID section of the legislation as it creates a legal fiction that can produce negative outcomes in the real world.
Altering an historic document - the birth certificate can no longer be relied upon as a meaningful record of historical fact.
Altering a fact - sex is not “assigned” at birth, it is observed.
Impacts on whakapapa / genealogy.
Children with birth certificates that do not give them an accurate picture of the circumstances of their birth.
The provision of single sex services, facilities and sports remains legal. Males can be excluded from services, facilities and sports intended for females, regardless of whether they claim a gender identity as a woman (or “non-binary”).
However SUFW is concerned that activist officials and policy makers have been and will continue to misrepresent the law, creating bad policy and confusion among service providers. An example of this is the way in which two government websites represent grounds for discrimination in the Human Rights Act 1993 (HRA). The HRA does not mention “gender identity” yet the New Zealand Government website has included gender identity in their list of prohibited grounds for discrimination in relation to the HRA.
Speak Up For Women would like to invite voters to challenge election candidates from all parties, about whether politicians intend to allow and enable the top-down implementation of radical sex denialism in Aotearoa New Zealand or instead, support sex-based rights; the safety, dignity and privacy of women and girls; and freedom of belief and speech in discussions related to sex and gender.
We also expect it will motivate candidates to listen to voters’ concerns.
If you are concerned about the denial or withdrawal of single sex services, the protection of women’s and girls’ rights, you can find more information on our website.
Poll details
POLL DATES:
Tue 02 to Sun 07 May 2023. The median response was collected on Thursday 04 May 2023.
TARGET POPULATION:
Eligible New Zealand voters.
SAMPLE POPULATION:
Eligible New Zealand voters who are contactable on a landline or mobile phone or online panel.
SAMPLE SIZE:
1,000 respondents agreed to participate – 800 via phone and 200 via online panel.
SAMPLE SELECTION:
A random selection of 15,000 nationwide phone numbers and a random selection from the online panel.
WEIGHTING:
The results are weighted to reflect the overall voting adult population in terms of gender, age, and area.
SAMPLE ERROR:
Based on this sample of 1,000 respondents, the maximum sampling error (for a result of 50%) is +/- 3.1%, at the 95% confidence level.
CODE COMPLIANCE:
This poll was conducted in accordance with the Research Association New Zealand Code of Practice and the International Chamber of Commerce/European Society for Opinion and Market Research Code on Market and Social Research.