Connecticut Assembly Approves Birth Certificate Modernization Bill
After a 32-to-3 vote in the Senate yesterday, Connecticut’s General Assembly sent House Bill 7006 to the Governor’s desk for his signature. When signed into law, the bill will go into effect on October 1, 2015 and make Connecticut the 8th state to modernize birth certificate access (joining CA, MD, NY, OR, RI, VT, WA, and DC). Similar legislation is currently on the governor’s desk in Hawaii.Current law in Connecticut requires a person wishing to change the gender marker on their birth certificate to reflect their gender identity to show proof of gender affirmation surgery. HB 7006 removes this surgery requirement and instead requires a written statement from a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or psychologist attesting that the person applying for a gender marker change has “undergone surgical, hormonal or other treatment clinically appropriate for the applicant for the purpose of gender transition.” In so doing, the Connecticut state legislature removed a significant barrier to accurate birth certificates that surgical requirements impose on transgender people who cannot or do not want to undergo such surgeries.
Connecticut’s bill is part of a larger trend of removing unnecessary and restrictive barriers, such as surgical and court order requirements, to changing the gender marker on identity documents. In addition to recent state-level developments (such as last week’s victory in Maryland and pending victory in Hawai’i), the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) has worked hard to successfully modernize gender marker change policies for U.S. passports, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, and Social Security records.
Being able to change one’s gender marker on legal documents is a critical issue for transgender people. The 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that more than 40% of transgender respondents live without identification that matches their gender identity. Inaccessible gender marker change policies pose a serious threat to the safety, health, and wellbeing of transgender people by making it more difficult for transgender people to find employment, enroll in school, vote, and apply for public assistance programs.
NCTE applauds the efforts of partner organizations who made this change possible, including the American Civil Liberties Union of CT, the Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition, Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, GLAD, Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, True Colors, and many other wonderful local advocates.
If you would like assistance in updating your name or gender markers on your legal documents, the NCTE can help. We can be reached at ncte@transequality.org.
For more information on the ID policies in your state, please consult our ID Document Center here.
