The Queensland
Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages agreed to accept
a marriage application from a lesbian couple in Brisbane,
Australia, on Thursday. Sharon Dane and Elaine Crump,
who both hold dual citizenship in Australia and the
United Kingdom, went to the registry office on
Valentine's Day and refused to leave unless their
application was accepted, according to Australian
Marriage Equality.
Administrators
initially said that Australia's Marriage Act prevented
them from accepting the document, but they eventually
accepted the application.
A Notice of
Intended Marriage must be lodged with the Registry at least
one month and one day prior to the date you wish to marry.
The document is then valid for 18 months from the date
of registry.
''We were
prepared for a stony reception but were quite pleasantly
surprised," Crump said in a statement. "The staff
appeared extremely empathetic that they couldn't treat
us like other couples who had turned up to the
Registry on Valentine's Day.''
Registry
development officer Colin Wood said that if the Marriage Act
were overturned the form would be valid. The couple would
not be required to file a new form. (The
Advocate)
