TRANSGENDER people in Scotland will no longer need to get divorced in order to have their new sex legally recognised.
The Equal Marriage Bill, to be published today, is being hailed as more progressive than its Westminster equivalent, with major advances for those who want to change their sex and stay with their spouse.
Currently, transgender people have to legally end their marriages before being permitted to change their gender on official documents, such as passports.
The Equal Marriage Bill will remove the dilemma facing transgender people, many of whom chose to forsake having their gender legally changed as a result.
Nathan Gale of the Scottish Transgender Alliance said: "We are pleased that transsexual people will no longer be forced to divorce in order to have their gender legally recognised."
The bill will also give humanists a full role in the process of same-sex weddings – unlike in England where they are barred from being wedding celebrants.
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