A transgender woman, who has been married to her partner Kathy for 28 years, will no longer have to get divorced to change her gender category on her birth certificate, after laws were passed in Queensland.

The amended laws have removed restrictions requiring a person not to be married before their birth certificate was changed, to reflect their sexuality.

Roz Dickson, an electrician and engineer from Logan, south of Brisbane, had gender reassignment surgery completed in 2016.

"To have reached the end of the journey and have this concrete wall in front of me that you have to do something, and stop supporting your wife and risk breaking up your family because I have got two children aged 10 and 14 — just because the law says so —was extremely disheartening," Ms Dickson said.

"I have always felt like a woman even though it took me many years to transition.

Transgender woman Roz Dickson (right) with her wife of 28 years Kathy (middle), and Kathy's partner Mark (left). ( Supplied: Roz Dickson )

"The thoughts and desires that I was to be a woman have been there since my childhood."

The changes mean Ms Dickson's application for a birth certificate as a female could now finally be processed.

"After marriage equality got passed nationally, I went into the Births, Deaths and Marriages office to lodge the form," she said.

"In the section that said evidence of being divorced or widowed or not being married, I put 'not applicable' but the form had not been able to be processed.

"The law change has been a long time coming."

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D'Ath said the amendments to the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registrations Act recognised existing marriages of people who undertook gender reassignment.

"Previously any Queenslander who has undergone sexual reassignment surgery had to divorce their partner to have their gender legally recognised," Ms D'Ath said.

"That is an horrendous decision that anyone should have to make — to divorce someone they love — simply because the law doesn't allow them to recognise their change of gender.

"The feedback is this is long overdue, and the state would have liked to have done this earlier — to see that passed is just another step forward in getting true equality in our community.

"I hope delivering this reform will go some way to helping the transgender community to live their lives openly and without judgment."

'Best news ever', transgender support group says

Australian Transgender Support Association of Queensland (ATSAQ) secretary Kristine Johnson said it was "the best news ever".

"We have 500 members and it effects about half of us" Ms Johnson said.

"It is wonderful news because why should people who have been happily married for 40 years and one changes gender have to be divorced then get remarried?

"In the past some did, but most of them they just don't worry about changing their birth certificates and stayed married."

She said some people might have had a gender change but not worried about changing their birth certificate.

"It was a law brought back in many years ago to basically stop the fight towards same sex marriage — well before John Howard changed the Act," she said.

"You would have to divorce to change your gender marker — your birth of sex marker — once you had had the surgery to get a female put on your birth certificate."

She said that meant couples were no longer married as same-sex marriage was not allowed.

"It was a horrifying law," Ms Johnson said.

KAP, One Nation MPs voted against change

The LNP, the Greens MP Michael Berkman and Independent Noosa MP Sandy Bolton supported the State Government in the changes.

Katter's Australian Party (KAP) MPs and the Pauline Hanson's One Nation MP Stephen Andrew voted against the laws.

KAP state leader Rob Katter said they were philosophically opposed to the federal law changes and the Queensland Bill.

"It's a consistent ideological position we have," Mr Katter said.

"This is a continued attack on traditional values and we want to represent the traditional views.