754

thlacofatrulmaritlconset;thedecisiosdiffernly

inthleglheadigwhicdefinethatdefect.

 Privte);Rot,decisoncoraAnné11March,975,rot..10.629.

transltedbyWilliaB.Coga,S.J.,ndoseptA.Persich,.J.,he

lattrofwhokindlsenusheasendecision

Transvesites,TranssexalsandMarriageS.R.Rota,14

April,1975)Private.

ThiscasofnullityofmarriagewasdecidedoramPintoonthegroundoflackofthediscretionrisingoutoftrans.

vestism.

Case1)Afteranengagementeriodoftwoyears,R.and

M.,hewhileinhis34thyear,sheinher25th,willinglyand

freelycontractedmarriagentheCatholicriteonthe1stof

April,1946.

Shortlyafterthemarriagecelebration,theman,whoisthe

defendant,manifestedunusualindications:heoftenwore

women sclothesathomebecause,inordertomaintain

psychologicalbalance,hemustfeelthatheisawoman;

further,heconfessedtohiswifethathecouldnothave

sexualrelationswithawomanunlesshethoughthimselfawomandressedinwomen sclothing.

Thecouplehavegivenbirthtothreechildren,namely,G.

 20-11-47),B. 2-V-49),andM. 3-XII-58).However,because

ofdifficultieswhicharosebetweenthespouses,partiallybe-

causeofeconomicreasons,partiallybecauseofsexual

reasons,thehusbandinMarchof1971filedforcivildivorce

andthewifeintervenedwithacountersuit.

Onthe9thofMay,1972,M.accusedhermarriageofnullitybeforetheregionalecclesiasticalribunalofL.,either

onthegroundofdefectofconsentnthepartoftheman

becaseofincapacitofthesaidmantogivematrimonial

conset ortheincapacittoassumeonjugalobligations)

or,inasubordinaeway,onthegroundsoferroronthe

parofthewomaregardinaqualityofthemanamounting

toanerrorregardinthepersonnaccordwithcanon1083

5210Sincthedecisioofthecourtoffirstinstance26-

 

CANON1081

755

11173)waagaisttheplaintif,sheasppealdtoour

AposolicTribualwher,aftecompleionofanewudicia

investiationatthensisteceoftheCounsl,actingfficial-

lyforhplaintif,thecasistodaproposdtousora

definitveresolutin,respondngtothequestiothusorded

 Istherprooffnullityfmarriaginthe

A)DEFECTOFCONSENT

Law.2)Inorderocontractvalidmarriage,hecontract-

ingpartymustpossesthatmentaliscretionherebyecan

obligathimselfogivetohispartnerndreceiveromhertheperpetuaandexclusiveightoverthebodyforacts

whichofthemselvesreaptforthegenerationfchildren.

Asaresult,if,becauseehasnotyetacquireddequate

discretion(immaturity),orbecausehehasseriousdistur-

bancesofmindorwill(amentia),heisincapableofemploy-

ingsufficientdeliberation,themarriagemustbedeclared

invalidbecauseofdefectofconsent.1

Butif,afterthematrimonialconsenthasbeengiven,the

contractingparty,becauseofaseriouspsychosexualdisorderexistingatthemomentofthecelebrationofthemarriage,

wasincapableoffulfillingtheaforesaidobligationsassumed

intheactofconsent,themarriage,bytheverynatureofthe

matter,willbeinvalidbecauseofhisinabilitytoproffertheessentialobjectoftheconsent.2

3)Incapacitytoproffertheessentialormalobjectofthe

contractand,consequently,henullityofthemarriagearé

hadwhenthecontractingpartieswhoappearedobeof

differentsexes,actuallyareofthesamesex.

Determinatioofsexdoesnotoffendifficultywhenheres

questiooftypicalexualityinwhicheneticexchromo-

somalXYformale,andXXforfemale,swellaschroma-

tinic;male,whenheBarrbodiesonotexceed ;emale,

Canon108and1982.roppingheeferenceinthesentencesothe

bottoofthepagendhenumberinofthemsourworknanefforto

makethereadingofthesentenceasier.

2cf.D.18,4,1;30,39,8-10;4,7,1,9-10;0,17,185;nVIO,e

regul.iur„reg.VI.

 

CANON1081

756

beyodthat,anatomial,thats,morphologialsexboth

primryanseconarysexulcharacteristcs),andsycholo

giclsearatharmoyamonthemselvs.

Howevr,itwillbedifficult,attimes,erydifficult,o

determiethesexncaseofambiguousexuality,.g.,when

therisquestinoftransvestistogetherithtranssexual

ism.

 (the)psychosexual

)Transvestim,thatis,eonisms

phenomeoninwhichhesubjectusually,heman)plays

theroleoftheoppositeexbybeingconsciousfbelonging

toaspecifisex.Inthisdimensionhesubjectearchesor

sexuaidentificationntheclothingandintheassumptionftastespractices,ndbehaviorpatternsoftheoppositesex

Withintheareaoftransvestismthreevarietiesare

distinguishedthefetishist,theexhibitionist,andthehomo-

 3Intransvestismproperlyso-called, theemotions

exual.

arealwaysinvolved,tingedmoreorlesswitheroticism,

sexualstimulationand,often,tomasturbatorysatisfac-

 4Iftheclothingoftheothersexiswornforanother

ion.

reason,e.g.,toconcealone srealpersonality,thatisnot

transvestismbutsimulation(disguise).

5)Transsexualism,ontheotherhand,is apsychosexualsyndromecharacterizedbythetestedfeelingsofanindivi-dualofaspecificsex(moreoften,theman)ofbelongingto

theoppositesexeSuchafeelingisaccompaniedbythedesiretochangeone sownsomatosexualconfigurationwithsurgicalorhormonaltreatment.Inthissituationthesubject

conspirestodenyhisownsextotallyandtotransferhimself

Transsexualismcanbe

ntotheareaoftheoppositesex....

distinguishedfromtransvestismsinceinthislattercasethe

individualplaystheroleoftheoppositesexbutisawarethat

hebelongstoaspecificsex.Moreover,thetranssexualphenomenoisdistinguishedromhomosexualitynthatthe

subjectdirectstowardshisownsexhiseroticinstinctswith-

outplacingindiscussionhisownsexualidentity. 5

3RizzoiLarouss:EnciclopedidellaMedicina,ol.IV,1972,.3250

39

41-.Benjami:TheTranssexulPhenomenon,966;talianversion,.

[p.301

NoteSincthisworkwasoriginallywrittennEnglish,llquotations

froitargiveintheoriginalnglish.ageeferencetotheEnglish

editionaregiveninsquarebracketsasabove.

RizzoliLarousse:p.cit.,p.309.

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