The definition of traditional marriage as between a man and a woman depends on an understanding of what “man” and “woman” mean.
So the idea that gender can be changed almost at will strikes at the heart of what the Coalition for Marriage stands for. It is crucial that marriage supporters speak out against the Government’s proposed changes to the 2004 Gender Recognition Act.
We have published guidance on responding to the consultation, which may be downloaded here.
Changes consulted on include:
- Allowing a person to change legal gender without first living as a member of the opposite sex for two years;
- Allowing legal gender change without any medical diagnosis, which would remove a key protection against bad faith from the current system;
- Removing the requirement that a married person who changes gender may only do so with the permission of their spouse, thus potentially forcing people into ‘same-sex marriages’;
The present laws on gender are far from ideal. However, the changes proposed by the Government have the potential to be even more harmful to marriage and the family.
We urge all supporters to respond to the consultation. It runs until 23:00 on October 19th. Our sincere thanks to all who do.