Legal News
UK Passport Forms to Be Updated (5 October 2011)
Date: 05/10/2011
UK passport forms will include options for same-sex parents by the end of this year, the Home Office has announced. Gay rights groups claim that the current form is “discriminatory”. However, family values campaigners believe that the changes denigrate the roles of mothers and fathers. The changes to the passport form will also allow transgender individuals to opt out of distinguishing themselves as either male or female.
Sam Dick, who is the head of policy at the gay rights group Stonewall, claimed that the changes reflect the realities of modern family life, making it more straightforward for both same-sex parents applying for passports for their children and for the officials who process them. Norman Wells, the director of the Family Education Trust, believes that the introduction of “parent one” and “parent two” on the forms denigrates the place of fathers and mothers. Mr. Wells strongly believed that fathers and mothers are not interchangeable. He affirms that fathers and mothers play distinct roles in both the care and nurture of their offspring.
A spokesperson for the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) said that it is imperative for any parent to provide the necessary information on their status as parents or guardians when submitting a passport application form on behalf of their child. The IPS claims that in doing so, a parent or guardian protects their child’s interests and ensures that the IPS is able to issue passports to the correct individual in a safe and secure manner.
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