22. Passport Cover
Benedict Slonecki, Postgraduate Researcher
This passport cover represents the doctoral research being conducted on the experiences of same-sex married expatriates as they migrate to countries that may not recognise their marriages officially and the challenges they face during the expatriation process.
A passport is required to travel across international borders but the differing views globally on same-sex marriage, LGBT rights and issues can lead it be a very restrictive space for LGBT+ individuals to navigate and mobilise within. The personal sacrifice that expatriate couple face by having their marital status questioned and potentially unrecognised by a foreign jurisdiction is unequal. Sexual orientation and whom someone choses to love should not be an additional barrier to cross in order to relocate and benefit from an international work assignment. However, in many parts of the world immigration controls and legislation treat it as such. ‘Love is love’ after all.