The Government regrets that the Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2014 was voted down by the Legislative Council today but respects the council’s decision, it said in a statement.
The bill aims to align the statute law with the order made by the Court of Final Appeal in W v Registrar of Marriages (FACV 4/2012) in July 2013, to provide clear statutory protection for the marriage right of transsexuals who have received full sex reassignment surgery in their reassigned sex under the law.
The statement said that the Registrar of Marriages started to implement the CFA Order on July 17, 2014, and from that day, Miss W and other people who have received full sex re-assignment surgery are allowed to marry in their reassigned sex.
The Government fully appreciates that the matter is complicated and controversial. Besides introducing the bill to reflect what has been irreversibly decided by the CFA in statute, an Interdepartmental Working Group on Gender Recognition, chaired by the Secretary of Justice, was set up to study issues relating to gender recognition.
The working group will continue to look into the matter carefully and consult widely in considering legislation and incidental administrative measures to protect the rights of transsexuals in all legal contexts.
