Man says sex change should end alimony!

[AliceInWonderland]

Man says sex change should end alimony
Fla. residents in legal battle after ex-wife's gender reassignment surgery

The Associated Press
Updated: 2:03 a.m. PT March 29, 2007

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Lawrence Roach agreed to pay alimony to the woman he divorced, not the man she became after a sex change, his lawyers argued in an effort to end the payments.

But the ex-wife's attorneys argued Tuesday that the operation doesn't alter the agreement.

Less than a week after commissioners in nearby Largo drew national attention by firing the city manager after he announced he was a transsexual, lawyers for Roach and his ex-wife grappled in another transsexual rights case that delves into relatively uncharted legal territory.

Only a 2004 Ohio case has addressed whether or not a transsexual can still collect alimony after a sex change, those involved say.

"There is not a lot out there to help us," Circuit Judge Jack R. St. Arnold said.

Roach and his wife, Julia, divorced in 2004 after 18 years of marriage. The 48-year-old utility worker agreed to pay her $1,250 a month in alimony. Since then, Julia Roach, 55, had a sex change and legally changed her name to Julio Roberto Silverwolf.

"It's illegal for a man to marry a man and it should likewise be illegal for a man to pay alimony to a man," said John McGuire, one of Roach's attorneys. "When she changed to man, I believe she terminated that alimony."

Silverwolf did not appear in court Tuesday and has declined to talk about the divorce. His lawyer, Gregory Nevins, said the language of the divorce decree is clear and firm — Roach agreed to pay alimony until his ex-wife dies or remarries.


"Those two things haven't happened," said Nevins, a senior staff attorney with the national gay rights group Lambda Legal.

Arnold found fault with several of Roach's legal arguments and noted that appeals courts have declined to legally recognize a sex change in Florida when it comes to marriage. The appellate court "is telling us you are what you are when you are born," Arnold said.

An Ohio appeals court ruled in September 2004 that a Montgomery County man must continue to pay alimony to his transsexual ex-wife because her sex change wasn't reason enough to violate the agreement.

Roach, who has since remarried, said he has been unable to convince state and federal lawmakers to tackle the issue. He said he will continue to fight.

The case is the second transsexual rights showdown in Pinellas County in less than a week. On Friday, city commissioners voted 5-2 to fire Largo's city manager, Steve Stanton, after he announced he was a transsexual.

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: Man says sex change should end alimony - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com

shit; even im a little confused by this...

[Born In A Brothel]

ummm, no, but nice try guy.

[Dean James]

woosh, that's a sticky wicket. I wouldn't want to pay $1250/month to anyone.

But seriously, Julio Roberto Silverwolf? Why didn't he just change his name to Don Juan Sexypants?

[McJag]

I don't think the guy should have to pay now. Someone else changed the rules of the game! He should turn around & sue Julio for impersonating a wife and alienation of affections & be awarded the same amount for life!

[Born In A Brothel]

Yeah, but, was there something written in the agreement she couldn't become a he?

[greysfang]

Sorry, it doesn't work that way. So what if she became a man, he's still an ex-wife.

[crumpet]

Bitches need to support themselves anyways. Alimony is a crock in this day and age.

[AliceInWonderland]

yeah im a feminist and totally ashamed of women who cant support themselves.

[greysfang]

Um, excuse me, but men get alimony too.

Sorry, but I can't come down on women who choose the traditional route of stay at home mom. A LOT of them have degrees, but decided to stay home with their children instead. No one said they can't support themselves, but it is difficult to get back into the work force after a lot of years, especially if you didn't have much actual; experience to begin with.

[pacific breeze]

Originally Posted by crumpet

Bitches need to support themselves anyways. Alimony is a crock in this day and age.

I'm sure the kids who go without share your sentiments.

Studies show that women, not men, generally become much poorer after a divorce. And I speak as someone who is married to a man who has paid alimony for 20 years to an ex who never even had the kids. Fair? No.

But I support the idea in priniciple, particularly when there are children involved. I have a few friends who didn't ask for alimony against the advice of their lawyers because they didn't want their exes controlling their lives any more. But the exes still get full rights, and contribute exactly nothing to the upbringing of their children, even going so far as to sign the kids up for expensive activities and have the bills sent to the mothers. And all of these men are professionals earning big incomes.

My step-daughter gets nothing from her ex for her little girl, and she struggles working 60 hours a week on minimum wage because she doesn't have a good education. She wants to go back to school, but can't afford to. Her ex agreed to pay minimal support, but hasn't forked over a dime in more than a year, and he never gave anything toward his child, much less her, even when they were together. He's a deadbeat, but she can't do much about it. Did I mention that he is very well off?

It costs money to go after these deadbeats, and the right-wing "family values" govt dismantled Legal Aid and most other services for women and children. But I guess that is their fault, too. All these women are just greedy, lazy bitches anyway, right?

[AliceInWonderland]

^ thats fucking sad and just wrong UCG men like that are dispicable!

[sputnik]

i don't think he should have to pay anymore. getting a sex change would probably be grounds for annulment if they were still married - it shouldn't be any different for alimony.

[McJag]

Damn good point, Sputnik!

[Born In A Brothel]

So, if instead the man changed to a woman, he shouldn't legally be obligated to pay alimony/child support, right?

[AliceInWonderland]

no b/c he still was/is the parent!