Australia rights body wants "intersex" gender: report

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's official human rights watchdog wants a third gender called "intersex" to be created for use on official documents like passports and driving licenses, a newspaper report said on Saturday.

The new gender would be another legally recognized option alongside male and female, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The proposal from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission was contained in a discussion paper issued to transgender and transsexual advocates, the paper said.

The commission is a statutory body that advises the Australian government.

Commission officials could not be reached immediately for comment on the Daily Telegraph's report.

Under the commission's proposals, the "intersex" designation might be available even to some people who have not undergone surgery to change their sex, the newspaper said.

The paper "Sex Files - The legal recognition of sex: Proposed reform" states that the introduction of the third gender was a "key feature of the reform proposal being developed by the commission," the Daily Telegraph reported.

(Editing by Jerry Norton)