Members of the LGBTQI community are tired of being rejected by "gay and unfriendly" officials and can't wait for the revision of the Civil Union Act.
Civil union amendment recently passed
Prior to the recent adoption by the parliamentary Civil Affairs portfolio committee of a motion on the desirability of amending the Civil Union Act.
The bill was passed in 2006 and was hailed as a major victory for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people --
The community, because it extends the right to marriage (though in the form of a civil union) to the same --sex couples.
The excitement about the bill is short-lived.
Life does not necessarily mean happiness. ever-
After many of the same
Sexual couples who were rejected from certain departments of the Interior Ministry.
For some, the path to resolving the Bill of private MPs by Democratic MP Deidre Carter is long and often humiliating.
For Sue * and Lia *, it was initially left out by Schoongezicht, Paarl's wedding venue.
After the couple went to watch and discussed the date and price of the venue, they asked if the venue was "gay and friendly ".
The management certainly did not tell them.
Su recalled the moment as an "incredible humiliation ".
This is just the beginning of their troubles.
Sue told Parlybeat that when she tried to find a civil affairs department that could get married, officials sent her from one post to another.
She approached the company, but was told "we don't do this here ".
"They asked me to go to Belville.
No one helped me, I was sent from one official to another.
An hour later, I gave up and left.
I was frustrated and angry by this situation.
I feel like a second in the office of stylenbosch.
"Class citizens," she said.
"At Bellville, I insisted on talking to the person in charge, but the officer told me that the person was on a lunch break.
I asked for a phone number and the officer told me that they did not provide a phone number.
I only have the average email address.
Just after our incident at Schoongezicht, I was very upset because I already knew that complaining didn't help you anything.
According to Sue, she never thought about getting married for the longest time.
"I 've always insisted that I don't need documents that prove who I love, but it's important for Lia.
Being a Catholic, getting married is important to her, but also because she is worried that if anything happens to any of us, our family will stop us from money, property and funerals
Su called her parents and sister "hate homosexuality ".
"Both Lia and I have friends who have lost loved ones and their families have forced them to stand.
Lia does not want this to happen to us.
"Last year Hlengiwe Mkhize, then interior minister, confirmed that there were 130 designated marriage officials in her department, of whom 421 applied for an exemption.
Regarding the issue of the couple being "rejected", she said that does not mean that many of the interior ministries did not provide the service, but the exemption allowed the department to at least plan better.
She said her department had prepared a list of offices willing to hold weddings --
So people know which office to go.
However, on the parliamentary issue of 2013, Naledi Pandor, then interior minister, said: "All offices of the Ministry of the Interior need at least one marriage officer to perform the same duties --sex marriages”.
In the office where officials apply for exemption, the ministry should deploy a marriage official willing to hold a wedding for the civil society, Pandor said.
But couples like Sue and Leah can prove that this has not happened.
After the experiences of steenbos and Belville, Sue obtained a list of family affairs departments where the civil unions held their weddings.
"This is the end of our Paarl branch where everything is 'fact' and our booking is fast and easy.
"On the day of the wedding at the Paarl office, they still had some trouble.
"The officials at the door just looked at us and said we had to wait outside-when death and marriage were in line.
I told him we would be late and he had to let us in but he wouldn't give in.
He only let us in when the other couple arrived.
I just think he discriminated against us because he was more than happy to help when the straight couple showed up.
But Su recalled that the experience was "truly happy" once they got in ".
"Marriage officials even asked if we had a personal oath.
Our daughters were there and she even waited for us to take pictures and congratulated us with a smile.
It feels like a real wedding.
"All political parties except the ACDP support the proposed amendment to schedule 6 of the act.
According to this schedule, marriage officers employed in the public service must not be forced to hold civil weddings based on their personal and religious beliefs.
Under the act, these marriage officers (
Magistrate and appointed Officer of Civil Affairs Department)
I can put an objection in writing to the minister and therefore will not "be forced [a]civil union”.
Now, 12 years later, this could change with the civil union amendment proposed by Carter earlier this year as a private member act.
The parliamentary home affairs portfolio committee has passed a motion on the desirability of this private member Act, which means that the Commission, in principle, agrees with the need for legislative amendments, which will now pass the parliamentary process that includes public input opportunities.
The abolition of this timetable will also affect other legislation that the Commission is dealing with in its deliberations.
According to Sue, it is a shame that civil servants refuse to hold the same wedding --
Same-sex marriage based on religious beliefs.
"They are employed by the government, not the church.
Government laws prohibit discrimination based on race, gender or sexual preference.
The attempt to get comments from some marriage officials was unsuccessful.
National education, health and Union unions representing most of these officials, as well as public service associations, have mixed reactions to the proposed amendment.
Motjatji Maila, a labor relations officer at the Public Service Association, told ParlyBeat that they had negotiated with their members.
"They are not satisfied with it.
PSA's view of the amendment is that marriage officials should be allowed to enjoy their constitutional rights by exercising their conscience, religion and belief in honor of the civil union between the same person --sex.
Cosatu and Nehawu, however, supported the amendment.
Matthew Parkes, co-coordinator of Parliament Cosatu, told ParlyBeat that they supported the bill because it was in line with the constitutional values ".
"Civil servants serve the public.
They do not have the right to choose which members of the public will take up this position because it will be discrimination.
The bill will now be promoted for public opinion.
* The couple only asked to use their name.
This article is used under the permission of ParlyBeat.