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News

passort office erasing mother and father for parent1/2

99 replies

sydneyc · 07/10/2011 11:00

What do other parents think of the passport office changing all passports to show parent one and two instead of mother and father. When they already recognise same sex couples who adopt, who does this law make it easier for.
I am a proud mother of three and i want my passport and my kids passport to reflect that, not show me as parent 1 i am a mother first .
This change apparently is being brought in from lobbying gay rights group surely this is another step too far?

OP posts:

Report

tabulahrasa · 07/10/2011 12:40

A mother or father is still a parent, so you can still fill in the form...

I'm not in a same sex relationship, but I can see how it would be a massive issue when you go to fill out a form that has spaces for mother and father when it's two mothers or two fathers - how do you do that? Does one of you pretend to be the opposite gender?

I'm assuming there's a protocol, but I don't know it - why should have to find out what to do, just to do something as basic as fill out a form?

Parent covers everyone, why is it a problem?

alexpolismum · 07/10/2011 14:20

I have just checked both of my children's passports (dual nationality). Neither mention mother/ father/ parent of any kind.

so I can't see that this will make much difference...

(although I would quite like to be Parent 3, just for the heck of it!)

amothersplaceisinthewrong · 07/10/2011 14:22

I think it makes sense given the different types of family units we have now.

SoupDragon · 07/10/2011 14:26

Get a grip, it is just the application form FFS.

Your parental status isn't shown on your passport OR that of your children. Do you actually have a passport?

As an aside, often when travelling longhaul with my three I like to pretend they aren't mine at all.

CaptainNancy · 07/10/2011 15:44

'Step too far' in what direction exactly?
How exactly does this change erode parental rights?
Are you suggesting same-sex parents are any less parents than a m/f couple? Does this mean adoptive parents are less parents than birth parents?
What are the grounds for your homophobia?

sydneyc · 08/10/2011 17:16

Its funny how me bringing up this subject people think i am homophobic or have an issue with a non nuclear family, i don't.
That is your own assumptions based on nothing actually said, a step too far is any new legislation which makes changes that don't actually need to be changed. This law was actually brought in to help trans-gender parents not same sex couples.

A step too far is bringing laws without telling anybody
for example : your playing with your child in the park who decides to hide behind a tree, you don't see your child and start panicking, your child stays hidden. You see a friendly csofficer and ask them if they have seen your child, then you both start looking, at which point your child runs out.
(if the child is out of your eye line it is classed as missing)
By law that csofficer will take your childs name, address and dob and your name and address and put 'a call to notice' on their computer, to make the local authority aware your child was missing.
If you have three calls occassions where your child is missing (three calls to notice) social services will be interviewing you.
Same goes if your child runs out of a shop or shopping centre.

Are you aware of that or are you not bothered ?

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 08/10/2011 17:41

Except, of course, this isn't a law, it's not legislation, it's just the name for a box on a form.

scaevola · 08/10/2011 17:42

The change to the detail of a passport application form does not require legislation.

Is the 'missing child' protocol something in legislation?

I don't mind it BTW: such guidelines (whether statutory or not) exist to protect children. We had similar when DS2 had his third visit to A&E.

HecateGoddessOfTheNight · 08/10/2011 17:50

I think people are underestimating how unreasonable/argumentative people can be It will solve one 'problem' and create another. It will start arguments about who will be parent 1 and who will be parent 2. There will be arguments that calling someone 'parent 1' is elevating them above 'parent 2' - similar to the whole 'head of the household' thing. I remember the threads about the census. person 1! Filling in a form as 'person 1' - it caused no end of huffing!

What is actually wrong with mother if you are the mother and father if you are the father (if there are 2 fathers then there are 2 fathers! etc) and guardian if you are the guardian etc etc etc

SoupDragon · 08/10/2011 17:55

Person/parent 1 is whoever can be arsed to fill the sodding form in. So, that will be me.

There is nothing wrong with having two fathers, but a form that asks for mother's details and father's details isn't going to work for that family is it?

KatieMiddleton · 08/10/2011 18:00

When the Government start erasing mothers and fathers I'll start worrying. When it's just changing the label on a form to make it inclusive then I'll not bother thanks.

Allboxedin · 08/10/2011 18:10

Agree mostly with OP. I don't really see the need to change labels. I see the need for families to be families without the government breathing down their necks. I know I sound horrbly old fashioned but what the hell is wrong with a society who dares not call a mother or a father by their respective names anymore because it might upset the small percentage of families who do not fall into that category?
I don't fall into lots of 'categories' in society but I don't see anyone changing names and labels to suit my preferences nor would I expect them to.

SoupDragon · 08/10/2011 18:43

"I don't really see the need to change labels."

So, in the case of a family with two female parents, who would you make fill in the Father box?

It is a label for a section of a FFS, no one is making you change from being called mother to parent 1!

TheThunderboltKid · 08/10/2011 18:45

It's not just upsetting families who don't fall into that category - what are they meant to put? Have to say I had never considered this before but as parent 1/parent 2 works for everyone then surely it is more sensible to use that.

And anyway as others have said, this is just in the form you fill in to get a passport. It is not on the passport itself.

The thing about the cs officer - surely it is unlikely that if you are playing in the park that one will be there all the time? I have once called the police when DS disappeared (turned out to be asleep in the bottom of a wardrobe) but tbh if that sort of thing kept happening I could understand it being checked up on.

Allboxedin · 08/10/2011 18:48

'It is a label for a section of a FFS` - so whats all the fuss about, why not leave it be, it's just a label FFS!

SoupDragon · 08/10/2011 18:53

Because not every family has a mother and a father.

Snorbs · 08/10/2011 19:03

sydneyc Fri 07-Oct-11 11:00:35
When they already recognise same sex couples who adopt, who does this law make it easier for.

sydneyc Fri 07-Oct-11 11:50:48
same sex familes are already recognised by the passport office so why does the goverment feel the need to introduce this change?

sydneyc Fri 07-Oct-11 11:59:44
the changes are a result of gay pressure groups

sydneyc Sat 08-Oct-11 17:16:11
This law was actually brought in to help trans-gender parents not same sex couples.

Sydneyc, what happened between yesterday and today to make you change your mind about why this law has been brought in?

CaptainNancy · 08/10/2011 22:51

I would hope that after 3 incidences of a child going missing it would be flagged up to SS to be frank. It is called Child Protection for a reason.

And your example has nothing whatsoever to do with a law change- it is a change in procedure. Nor does it have anything to do with changing labels on passport application forms.

Funnily enough, despite filling out 'parent 1' and 'parent 2' sections of contact details for my children's school I have never actually been addressed by school as 'parent 1'

You still haven't shown how the change of label erodes parental rights.

Surely in the UK law changes do have to pass through legislature, which is fully documented in this country and available to any member of the public.

diddl · 09/10/2011 11:30

I don´t see why it needs changing for everyone.

Can´t there just be forms available for "2 parents" or "mother & father"?

StewieGriffinsMom · 09/10/2011 11:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CristinadellaPizza · 09/10/2011 11:44

I'm very pleased about this - it's an acknowledgement that not all families have one mother, one father.

FWIW it's something that is also on my DS's forms for his school. Hadn't really clocked it until this thread :)

diddl · 09/10/2011 11:45

Why does it play to homophobia?

CristinadellaPizza · 09/10/2011 11:49

Because it's saying 'you and your family are abnormal and we want to make you and everyone else aware of that by making you ask for a different form'

RitaMorgan · 09/10/2011 11:53

I'm very suprised that anyone feels thejr role as mother is threatened because of a form saying parent

A mother is a parent after all? Your children will still see you as their mother, society still sees you as a mother. This will have no negative impact on your life or family whatsoever.

The government isn't banning mothers and raising all children in state institutions.

Gay40 · 09/10/2011 12:02

I'm glad it's happened, and I wouldn't be classed as Parent 1 or 2 in legal terms, but I'm not sure how it affects anyone else's labelling of their family relationships.

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