VICTORY! Marriages of Transgender People Ruled Valid by Courts in Arizona and California Buck Angel Transgender Law Center is thrilled to report about two victories this week in cases in which we submitted friend-of-the-court briefs. Both decisions affirm the legal recognition of a transgender persons gender identity as well as transgender peoples right to marry and have children. Today, an Arizona Appeals Court ruled that the marriage of Thomas Beatie and his wife Nancy was valid. The court held that Thomas was legally a man, overturning a lower courts decision that he was legally female because he had given birth to the couples children. The Beatie ruling comes on the heels of a similar decision by the Superior Court of California, issued last week, holding that the marriage of another transgender man, Buck Angel, was also valid. His ex-wife had argued that the marriage wasnt valid because the gender marker on his birth certificate had not been amended before the marriage took place. Buck Angel told us, I was shocked that my manhood was brought into question after I had been living my authentic life as a man for over 20 years and having done my best to get all my documents changed. Today I feel incredibly validated, both for myself and the entire transgender community. This is so important for couples and families like mine. I am very grateful to my attorney Alana Chazan, Transgender Law Center, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and all of the supporters Ive had throughout this process. These decisions reflect the simple reality that transgender men are men and transgender women are women, and the law should recognize them as such. They also importantly clarify that the U.S. Constitution forbids denying transgender people recognition for their lived gender simply because they exercise their fundamental right to have children. Thank you for your support, as always, that allows us to make sure that courts come out the right way on important cases like these. In solidarity, ilonasig Ilona Turner Legal Director\
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 17:38:17 +0000
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