Once a Man, But Not a Father

A glimpse of a possible American future from today's Daily Telegraph: Man who was a woman cannot be girl's parent. It begins:

A transsexual whose 17-year marriage to an heiress was nullified when the wife discovered that her husband was a woman is not legally a parent of her 14-year-old daughter born from donor sperm, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

English law now allows a transsexual to a new birth certificate describing him as the sex he wants to be rather than the sex he is (genetically if no longer genitally) and the right to marry as a member of his new sex. And so:

Dismissing Mr J's challenge, Lord Justice Wall said the court accepted that he was now a man in the eyes of the law.

But he continued: "That does not, however, mean that he was not a woman on 17 July 1977, the date that he entered into the ceremony of marriage with Mrs C."

Comments

[luthien]

That's...bizarre, but how on earth was she married to "him" for so long without realizing that she was married to a woman? that's the truly odd part; I suspect she guessed and just subconciously refused to see the truth. Because how could you miss that???

[peter speckhard]

I saw a longer version of events that explained that the secretly-female husband used artifical anatomy. But still...

[ELC]

A transsexual whose 17-year marriage to an heiress was nullified when the wife discovered that her husband was a woman is not legally a parent of her 14-year-old daughter born from donor sperm, the Court of Appeal has ruled. Even 40 years ago, a statement like that would have been received as the ravings of an asylum-confined lunatic. Now, it's just a matter-of-fact statement in a newspaper.

[luthien]

Thank you, Mr. Speckhard! I think that clarifies the issue...at least a little bit; I'd still think something might have been evident. But the images you've put in my head...ick!

[Carolyn]

I am also amazing that he/she could pull it off for so long. One or two nights yes, 17 years???? Something isn't right here.....