2 February 1970
Corbett v Corbett Divorce Case
Discrimination Legal Trans UK
In Corbett v Corbett (otherwise Ashley), the High Court annulled the marriage between Arthur Corbett and April Ashley. The judgment treated sex for marriage purposes as fixed by biological factors at birth, creating a restrictive legal precedent that affected trans people's legal recognition for decades.
Impact & Significance
Corbett became the central domestic obstacle that later litigation and reform had to overcome. The European Court of Human Rights' Goodwin judgment and the Gender Recognition Act 2004 marked the decisive move away from this restrictive approach for legal gender recognition.
Reference Record
- Date
- 2 February 1970
- Era
- 1970-1989
- Sources
- 1
Editorially reviewed — reviewed · last reviewed 2026-05-26.
Topic Guides
Gender Recognition Act 2004 The Gender Recognition Act 2004 created a legal route for some trans people in the UK to have their acquired gender recognised. UK Trans Pioneers and Recognition UK trans history before the Gender Recognition Act includes medical pioneers, public visibility, community organising, hostile legal precedents and later human-rights reform.
Questions This Event Helps Answer
Q What is the Gender Recognition Act 2004? The Gender Recognition Act 2004 created a UK legal process for some trans people to obtain recognition of their acquired gender. Q Who were early UK trans pioneers? Early UK trans pioneers include Michael Dillon, Roberta Cowell, April Ashley, Stephen Whittle, Julia Grant and the organisers who built early trans community networks.
