Marriage equality was legalised 9 years ago. So what changed?

As a queer celebrant in Melbourne, one of the questions I get asked most often is what actually changed legally when marriage equality passed in Australia. Whether you're planning a same sex wedding, a queer wedding, or you're just curious, here's a quick breakdown!

Same sex marriage has changed the legal wording for all marriage in Australia.

Legal wording

Your celebrant must recite the legal wording, or the 'monitum', to make your marriage legal. The following passage from the monitum was changed from:

"Marriage, according to law in Australia is the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life."

To:

"Marriage, according to law in Australia is the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life."

This change was a huge win for LGBTQ+ couples in Australia and means that every wedding ceremony in the country now reflects a more inclusive definition of marriage, whether it's a gay wedding, a lesbian wedding, or any other kind of celebration.

Now includes a 3rd gender option

Instead of just 'male' or 'female', your wedding forms also have a 'non-binary' option as well. A meaningful step forward for gender diverse and non-binary couples getting married in Australia.

Bride, groom, spouse

On your wedding forms you can now pick from 3 titles: bride, groom and spouse. And it doesn't have to match your gender (eg a female can be a groom). For couples queer and gender-diverse couples, this kind of flexibility matters. Even if you’re a hetero couple, you may feel bride and groom are outdated, and choose ‘spouses’ instead.

The takeaway

If you're planning a wedding in Melbourne and want a celebrant who genuinely gets it, I'd love to be part of your day. Every ceremony I write is inclusive, personalised and 100% free of anything that doesn't feel like you.