DHAKA: Australia’s highest court on Wednesday recognised the existence of a third ‘non-specific’ gender that is neither male nor female, in a landmark ruling campaigners said will help end years of discrimination.

The High Court ruled that not everyone should be forced to identify as a man or woman when dealing with officials, saying some people could legitimately describe themselves as gender neutral.

The High Court... recognises that a person may be neither male nor female, and so permits the registration of a person’s sex as ‘non specific’, it said in a unanimous judgement.

The decision ended a long legal battle by sexual equality campaigner Norrie to overturn a New South Wales state edict that gender is an inherently ‘binary’ concept involving only men or women.

‘I’m overjoyed,’ the Sydney-based activist said, reports daily Hurriyet.

‘It’s been a long time from start to end but this has been a great outcome.’

‘Maybe people will understand now that there’s more options than just the binary. So while an individual might be male or female, not all their friends might be and maybe they might be more accepting of that.’

BDST:2051 HRS, APR 02, 2014