Positive news, of sorts anyway
May 7th, 2008 by Rebecca
It’s been a bad week for LGBT stuff, but I’ve just gotten an email that suggests that the Rudd government might be starting to move on trans issues.
A transwoman who’d stayed married to her former partner but had had SAS has just been notified by Centrelink that the guidelines have changed and they are now considered a same-sex couple. They don’t mind, for it means that they receive more money - and it means that the government is starting to actually recognise the proper sex of transpeople. This is a refreshing argument from the last government, which was insistent on considering us in accordance with our assigned sexes in most cases, except where restrained from doing so by the courts, as in Re Kevin.
This is a positive sign in light of the coming battle to do away with the discriminatory passport regulations once and for all.