The ACT has made a last minute change to their marriage equality laws ahead of the legislation being passed tomorrow, transgender people have been written out of the legislation.
Removing the references to transgender people increases the chances of the laws to surviving the federal government’s promised High Court challenge.
ACT Attorney General Simon Corbell had told the ABC that the government is following the advice of constitutional law experts and provisions for transgender people will be added at a later date.
“We recognise that the views of a number of constitutional experts are that we should put that issue beyond doubt and the terminology that’s applied in our bill.”
“If our bill is upheld we will certainly move at a later date to expand its scope,” Mr Cordell said.
On Saturday Tony Briffa, Vice Chair of Organisation Intersex International Australia had praised the ACT’s legislation, highlighting it’s inclusion of transgender people. Mr Briffa argued that the legislation put forward in New South Wales and Tasmania was not as inclusive.
OIP Staff
