Palaszczuk Government Acts on Discrimination

The Palaszczuk Government will act quickly to remove a discriminatory and outdated legal restriction that affects Queenslanders who undertake gender reassignment.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath said she would amend the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registrations Act 2003.

“Section 22 of Act has previously meant that any Queenslander who has undergone sexual reassignment surgery had to divorce their partner to have their gender legally recognised.

“This has caused significant anguish for many gender diverse Queenslanders.

“It has been unjust and unfair that some members of our community have been forced to face the distressing decision of choosing between their marriage and the legal recognition of their gender identity.

 “But now that we have marriage equality, this section of the Act can and will be amended, because this government is strongly committed to ensuring our laws support the rights of all Queenslanders.”

The amendments will be introduced into Queensland Parliament next week.

“The overwhelming Yes vote to marriage equality has given us an opportunity to make sure our laws capture the true fabric of all Queensland families, and I’ll have more announcements in the near future about how we, as a community, can ensure our laws are truly reflective,” Mrs D’Ath said.

 This builds on the Palaszczuk Government’s proud record on equal rights, including:

• Reintroducing civil partnerships
• Expunging historical homosexual offences
• Removing gay panic as a defence
• Standardising the age of consent
• Funding for the LGBTI Community Legal Centre 

Media contact:  Kirsten MacGregor 0417 675 917