Friday, 23 January 2009
A Letter from the Attorney-General
Zoe Brain
http://aebrain.blogspot.com/2009/01/letter-from-attorney-general.htmlNot addressed to me - but to Kathy Noble, one of the more active members of the TS community here in Australia. And incidentally, another woman whose body changed under her, though in her case, we have a good medical explanation as to why.
You queried how the Australia Government's same-sex reforms affect transgender individuals who remain married after surgery. As you may be aware, the same-sex reforms amend 84 Commonwealth laws to remove discrimination against same-sex de facto couples and their families from a wide range of Commonwealth laws and programs.
While the reforms do not expressly address the sex or gender diversity of specific individuals, they ensure that same-sex de facto couples and their families are recognised and have the same entitlements as opposite-sex de facto couples. A transgender individual who remains married after surgery will not be deemed to be no longer married as a result of the reforms. The effect of the reforms is that such an individual will receive the same treatment regardless of whether they are considered to be a member of a same-sex or opposite-sex couple.
