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20th January 2016
10:41am GMT

Marco (right) and David
“When the funeral director came that’s when I was told that because Australia doesn’t recognise same-sex marriage, it [the death certificate] will say ‘never married’,” said Marco. “I asked at that point whether it was possible to say nothing [about his marital status], and I was told, ‘No, that’s not one of the drop down options on the computer.’”
“I couldn’t refuse. There was nothing I could have done. They wouldn’t say married. They wouldn’t leave it blank. They would only say, ‘never married’. This was confirmed by email because we complained afterwards.”
“I was completely overlooked,” he continued. “I wasn’t the next of kin. Every single question I was asked – whether or not I wanted David cremated, whether or not I wanted David to have a service, or be washed, even the cost of the coffin they were to use – after I gave my answer David’s father was consulted. He was also specifically asked, ‘Do you want to look this over before it’s signed?’ It was outright discrimination. If I didn’t get on with my in-laws I don’t know that I would have any rights.”
Marco has reached out to David Cameron, the Foreign Office and MP’s, urging them to intervene.
“I understand they can’t change Australian law,” he said, “but I’m not asking them to. I’m asking my own country to stand by its own laws. If the British government is aware that other countries do not recognise same-sex marriage they should try to defend what their law says.”