Married transpeople shouldn'tbe forced to divorce
(Matt Akersten, 17 October 2014, SameSame.com)
Since same-sex marriage is not allowed in Australia, married transgender people who wish to formally change their gender on their legal documents must divorce their husband or wife if they do so.
It’s a strange and upsetting situation which the states of New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania are addressing with legislation entering each of their Parliaments this week.
“We should not force a couple in a loving and supportive relationship to choose between divorce and an accurate birth certificate. This is heartless and unnecessary,” says independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, who introduced his Marriages Registration Amendment (Change of Sex) Bill yesterday.