New Bill Would Simplify Process for Changing Gender on Birth Certificates

[TexasTowelie]

Coloradans don’t get to choose the sex listed on their birth certificates, and amending the document later in life can be a challenge, especially for transgender individuals. But LGBTQ advocates are hopeful that a new bill, introduced January 4 by Representative Daneya Esgar, that aims to ease the process will finally pass after years of dying in the formerly Republican-controlled state Senate.

A transgender individual seeking a gender change on a birth certificate has to get judicial approval indicating that they've undergone gender-reassignment surgery, which is not always covered by insurance, and officially change their name. But the Birth Certificate Modernization Act would end those requirements and require only a note from a doctor or a therapist saying that the person has undergone treatment for gender transition or has an intersex condition and that the person’s gender designation should be changed. And anyone who changes their gender would get an entirely new birth certificate instead of just an amended version. (The bill only covers Colorado transplants whose home states have similar rules.)

"This is one of the last barriers that exist for transgender folks. And Colorado is behind the times. By changing the law with what we’re proposing, we’d be in line with how the federal government handles passport identification and Social Security identification," says Senator Dominick Moreno, the bill's main sponsor in that chamber.

Legislators have introduced similar bills in the past four legislative sessions, garnering bipartisan support in the House but the cold shoulder in the Senate. Moreno says opponents were usually fundamentally at odds with the transgender community and expressed concerns that they would "flip-flop" on their gender.

Read more: https://www.westword.com/news/new-colorado-bill-would-simplify-process-for-changing-gender-on-birth-certificates-11107475

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. Thank you for posting this.

I'm a boring normal person, quite content with the gender that was obvious at my birth, but I do get it that not everyone is the same way. And I also understand that gender assignment can and should be fluid, because some people do not simply settle into one specific gender. I know this is all complicated, but will be worked out in time.

As a side note, it's not very long ago that some man referring to his husband, or some woman referring to her wife, would have been quite incomprehensible to most people. I love it that now we all (I hope we all) get it.

And on a personal note, several years ago I was in a situation where a man casually referred to his husband, and a couple of hours later a woman referred to her wife, that I finally got it. Yes! If you're married and you're a man you're a husband. If you're married and you're a woman you're a wife. Head smack.

I so love the world we live in.

[TexasTowelie]

2. You're welcome.

I'm a pretty boring abnormal person myself.

My attitudes towards same-sex relationships and gender issues have definitely evolved over time since I was raised in a conservative Christian family. I've had virtually no exposure to the trans population, but I would certainly be respectful and show hospitality. What I hope for everyone is that they are comfortable with who they are and that there is no discrimination across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.

I do believe that this is good legislation and I expect Gov. Polis to sign it when the bill arrives at his desk.