Birth Certificate Committee Vote

The vote tally on the committee vote on the Birth Certificate bill has been posted...

Total voting: 25, Yea: 23, Nay: 2, Abstain: 0, Absent/Not voting: 3

What that means is that the bill has strong bipartisan support because eleven of the committee members are Republican.

The bill allows that you can change you birth certificate without surgery, you will need the same documents that you use to change the gender on Social Security and on your passports. This morning's Hartford Courant said this about the bill,

A legislative panel is backing a change to state law that would make it easier for transgender people to obtain a birth certificate that accurately reflects their gender identity.

The public health committee, which has jurisdiction over birth certificates and other vital record, voted Monday to back House Bill 7006, which now moves to the full House of Representatives for consideration. (The vote won't be final until later today.)

One of the Republicans on the committee had this to say about the bill,

Rep. Jason Perillo , R-Shelton, questioned whether the state should permit people to change an essential document, such as a birth certificate.
"The birth certificate is intended to represent the state of the individual at birth,'' he said. "I don't weight what I weighed when I was born and we don't go back and change my birth certificate because my weight has changed."

But in the end he voted for the bill.

Medicaid Coverage Of Gender Dysphoria

Yesterday morning we received an email from the lobbyist who is working with us on this year’s legislative agenda, she wrote…

The Regulations Review Committee unanimously approved the regulation to require Medicaid to cover treatment for Gender Dysphoria today.

That effort was started by Lambda Legal last June with inquires to the Department of Social Services asking them to review their policy on transgender health care. CTAC along with GLAD and True Colors submitted comments on the purposed regulation change.

The new regulation goes into effect in 30 days.

Know Your Rights!

When it comes to homelessness you have certain rights. A 2013 law lists the rights that you have as a homeless person.

Public Act No. 13-251Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2013) (a) There is created a Homeless Person's Bill of Rights to guarantee that the rights, privacy and property of homeless persons are adequately safeguarded and protected under the laws of this state. The rights afforded homeless persons to ensure that their person, privacy and property are safeguarded and protected, as set forth in subsection (b) of this section, are available only insofar as they are implemented in accordance with other parts of the general statutes, state rules and regulations, federal law, the state Constitution and the United States Constitution. For purposes of this section, "homeless person" shall have the same meaning as in 42 USC 11302, as amended from time to time.
(b) Each homeless person in this state has the right to:
(1) Move freely in public spaces, including on public sidewalks, in public parks, on public transportation and in public buildings without harassment or intimidation from law enforcement officers in the same manner as other persons;
(2) Have equal opportunities for employment;
(3) Receive emergency medical care;
(4) Register to vote and to vote;
(5) Have personal information protected;
(6) Have a reasonable expectation of privacy in his or her personal property; and
(7) Receive equal treatment by state and municipal agencies.
(c) Each municipality may post in the usual location for municipal notices a notice entitled "HOMELESS PERSON'S BILL OF RIGHTS" that contains the text set forth in subsection (b) of this section.

Approved July 11, 2013

Further more, Connecticut's Non Discrimination law covers gender identity and expression in housing and public accommodation and shelter cannot discriminate again trans people. They must house a trans person in the shelter of their gender identity or expression.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued a policy statement on homeless shelter for gender variant people.

Notice CPD-15-02: Appropriate Placement for Transgender Persons in Single-Sex Emergency Shelters and Other Facilities
Date Published: February 2015
Description
This Notice provides guidance to recipients and subrecipients receiving Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), Continuum of Care (CoC) or Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funds regarding how best to provide shelter to transgender persons in a single-sex facility. This notice also provides guidance on appropriate and inappropriate inquiries related to a potential or current client’s sex for the purposes of placing transgender persons in temporary, emergency shelters, or other facilities with shared sleeping areas or bathrooms.
Resource Links
Notice CPD-15-02: Appropriate Placement for Transgender Persons in Single-Sex Emergency Shelters and Other Facilities (PDF)