Divorcee's Sex Change Won't Stop Alimony

Florida Judge Rules Man Must Still Pay $1,250 A Month To Ex-Wife Who Had Sex Change

(AP)  A woman's sex change operation does not free her ex-husband from his alimony obligation, a judge said Wednesday.

Attorneys for Lawrence Roach, 48, had argued his 55-year-old ex-wife's decision to switch genders and change her name from Julia to Julio Roberto Silverwolf voided their 2004 divorce agreement.

"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.

Circuit Judge Jack R. St. Arnold, however, ruled that in the eyes of the law, nothing changed significantly enough to free Roach from his $1,250-a-month obligation.

The judge said since Florida courts have ruled sex-change surgery cannot legally change a person's birth gender, Roach technically is not paying alimony to a man.

Gender definitions are "a question that raises issues of public policy that should be addressed by the Legislature, not the Florida courts," St. Arnold wrote.

Silverwolf's lawyer, Gregory Nevins, said the language of the divorce decree is clear — Roach agreed to pay alimony until his ex-wife dies or remarries.

Nevins said he and his client were pleased with the ruling although they disagree with Florida's refusal to legally recognize gender reassignment surgery.

Roach, a utility worker who has since remarried, said he will press his fight to end the payments.

"We're going to try everything we can," he said. "I can't rest until I get satisfaction."

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.

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.

[houser123]

One thing this case does point out is the fact this judge adjudicated the case base on standing laws. If you dont like the law, write your congressman and ask them to change it. Its that simple.

[paynindiaz]

Julia is obviously a Girly-Man.
Wants to play dress-up and grow hair on her chest
and make people kow-tow to HER as the Woman she will always be. I hope her shiney new man parts fall off
into the panties she still wears.

[jetlizhan]

these two guys should get together over a couple of beers and poker game and discuss this - seriously, i do not think the 'born male' should have to pay the 'man-made male'.

[bm6005]

"HE" wouldn't get a dime from me! Learn how much fun it is to be the man, ***!

[ianlou]

OK, He has to pay alimony till his/her death or remarriage? What does Florida law require him/her to marry to end the alimony obligation; a women, a man, someone also in-between? Is Florida one of those states that only recognises marriage between a man and a women? I guess my attitude is old-fashioned; If your a real man, you'll quit looking for "girly support" and get a job.

[ander241]

What a bunch of homophobes! Florida and Ohio seem to have at least stuck with the law. There WAS a reason she, now he, was ordered to receive alimony in the first place...like staying home, married to a guy who needed a maid for 25 years. Or whatever the reason for the initial ruling was.

As for the the Largo case, what sort of people are these who would fire a city manager because of the sexual orientation. Sounds like an ACLU case to me.

[rohink-2009]

I'm not sure how the law is in Florida, but where I live alimony is payed for 6 months for every year you are married. But alimony laws were also put in effect back when divorce was rare and most women didn't work outside the home. Maybe the laws should be changed.

[ianlou]

In today's age of equal oportunity for men And women, the idea of Alimony is what should be re-examined. Child support is one thing, "I can't support myself, I'm a women" or "I married you for your ability to support me, it should continue without you" is another.

[navychief8]

"Why do I think I should no longer have to pay? Three words your honor, "Julio Roberto Silverwolf"

with a name like that do you think "Mr" Silverwolf is trying to compensate for something?

[lanaedawn]

Its ludicrous to think that a divorce decree needs to contain the stipulation that "alimony is to be paid until death, remarriage or a *** change"!

Furthermore, if Julio can afford a *** change operation why does he/she need his/her ex husbands money?

Alimony is such an outdated procedure anyway.

[afubar69]

Sorry, don't agree. I think 'it' gave up the right to alimony with the *** change. Seem's like Julio wants the advantages of both sexes, I don't think you can have it both ways. I also wonder if Julia's sexual identy had anything to do with the failure of the marriage in the first place. If so, this poor guy is really being taken to the cleaners.

[agordanier]

The fact that this person has changed from one gender to another has nothing to do with an alimony ruling. The fact is that alimony was granted to this person based on the income, length of the marriage, children, assets, and other things NOT related to the gender of either party. If the roles were reversed, and the person originally recieving the alimony was a male, and all other details were the same, gender would still have nothing to do with the outcome of the courts ruling!

[rarewisdom]

...until she dies or is remarried..."she" died when she became a "he".

Julia is no longer. Julio now lives.

Define death: termination of life.
Define Life: The time for which someone exists or functions.

Julia ceased to exist when Julio began to exist.

There are many forms of death: spiritual death, social death, physical. The court order failed to define the type of death, so any form of death can be substituted.

Further, his original court order dictates that he is to pay Julia Roach, not Julio Silverwolf.

Julia Raoch does not exist any more. Neither should her alimony payments. The ex-husband should prevail if he has a decent lawyer.

[agnim]

Posted by dallison7 at 09:42 AM : Mar 29, 2007

You are terrible. LOL

[agnim]

"I don't think you can have it both ways. I
Posted by Afubar69 at 01:19 PM : Mar 29, 2007"

Well the idiotic judge is helping the unfortunate and obviously mentally mixed up ****, Julia/Julio, to have it both ways! LOL

[agnim]

The most important point that is being missed here is that Julia, like ALL homos, is a mentally sick individual.

Why?
Because no sane mind will CUT OUT HEALTHY BODY PARTS!
Julia's case is just the more extreme case of the homosexual mental disease.

No so-called 'doctor' should be allowed to perform an 'operation' on HEALTHY BODY PARTS!

And the ex-husband shouldn't mind helping out a SICK WOMAN who was once his wife.

Instead of seeing his payments as 'alimony', he should tell himself that, which is actually the case, he's helping an OBVIOUSLY MENTALLY SICK individual in Julia.

[sallmaras]

What you don't realize is that the "he/she" needed the money then for the sexual transition and will continue to need the monies for any future enhancements. Though the "he/she" may have been his wife for years gone by, and thus has changed her sexual identity does not forgo her past relationship with her then husband. What happened during the appointment of the alimony in the divorce proceedings will stand, regardless of gender change, no matter how *** good his attorney is. Unfortunately there is no new "law" that would afford the Judge to rely on any different interpretation. Yes the "he/she" may have had something different in mind during her marriage to her then husband, and "that alone" may have forced the divorce, however, that should have been known and outed prior to the divorce settlement/proceeding/finalization.

[ianlou]

I'll say it again, Get rid of all forms of Alimony all together. In today's age, it's outdated and sexist and belongs with the asumption that girls are made of "sugar and spice" and that women are "helpless" and need to be "taken care of".
The continued existance of "Alimony" is evedence that women don't really want Everything equal.
And for those of you who will jump on the fact that men collect alimony too, is it an equal number of men to women? Is it even close?
Lets talk less about this women becoming a man and more about women in general standing on their own two feet like a man.

[mainemade]

"She" wanted and did become a "He". So "He" should stand up and take it like a man. Get a job let the ex keep his money!

[smb221]

The most important point that is being missed here is that Julia, like ALL homos, is a mentally sick individual. Posted by Agnim at 02:59 PM : Mar 29, 2007


That is the most repulsive and prejudice thing one person can say about another. I am so happy that I do not know you and never will.

[agnim]

"That is the most repulsive and prejudice thing one person can say about another. I am so happy that I do not know you and never will.
Posted by smb221 at 04:44 PM : Mar 29, 2007"

Yes, Smb, some people can't handle the truth and are indeed repulsed by the truth.
But homos are mentally mixed up humans.

And those homos who go to the EXTREME OF CUTTING THEMSELVES, OF REMOVING HEALTHY BODY PARTS, are EXTREMELY INSANE!

Which sane person would cut out healthy body parts? Would you do it and still consider yourself mentally healthy? LOL

With normal humans, the mating impulses are directed to the OPPOSITE GENDER!

See the case of the overwhelming majority of humans and human societies throughout the long history of humans for confirmation of that Scientific Fact!

Mother Nature is out to continue the species by having male and female mating impulses directed towards each other.

It is a quirk in the individual human mind, a crossing of the neural wires if you will, that would cause mating impulses to be WORTHLESSLY and ABNORMALLY directed towards someone of the same gender.

[michellem99-2009]

A mixed up mess. I am and was born female. There is a saying*you can't have your cake and eat it too.* I would never waste money I don't have on that. The Good Lord made me the gender I am 52 years ago. I don't understand it. Somebody paid for this and she/he wants the ex-spouse to pay money to live on. Nope.