So we all know I’m a nerd. I think that’s a given by now, right? Well, here’s a bit more evidence of my nerd status, or, as someone told me today, my need for a hobby š I offer this information with no judgement or comment; it is simply of interest to me as a nerd, and if the number of questions I get about it in OPD are of any indication, it’s also of interest to many others. I’m also not interested in opening up a discussion about the pros or cons of the Religious Marriage Celebrant category; I firmly believe that if this hadn’t been a possibility, we still wouldn’t have marriage equality today.
Those of you who’ve been paying attention will know that when marriage equality became a thing on 9 December 2017, there was the possibility for Commonwealth Registered Marriage Celebrants who performed civil ceremonies to put their hand up and say they had a religious objection to same-sex marriage, and therefore move from being Category C Marriage Celebrants and become a Category D Religious Marriage Celebrant. This would allow them to refuse to marry a same-sex couple and not be sued for discrimination. This was only open to celebrants who were registered on 9 December 2017, and it was only possible for them to make the change for three months; by 9 March 2018 any celebrants who wanted to move needed to have done so, and the option will never be available again.
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