A change in regulations in Rhode Island has made it easier for transgender people born in that state to revise the information on their birth certificates.
The regulations were filed on Thursday with the Secretary of State's office by health regulations coordinator Bill Dundulis.
Prior to this change, the Rhode Island Department of Health was essentially requiring gender reassignment surgery in order to change the gender designation on a birth certificate.
The new policy will allow a gender marker change based on a medical provider’s certification that the individual has undergone surgical and/or hormone treatment “or other treatment appropriate for the individual.”
to revise the information on their birth certificates.
The regulations were filed on Thursday with the Secretary of State's office by health regulations coordinator Bill Dundulis.
Prior to this change, the Rhode Island Department of Health was requiring gender reassignment surgery in order to change the gender designation on a birth certificate.
The new policy will allow a gender marker change based on a medical provider’s certification that the individual has undergone surgical and/or hormone treatment “or other treatment appropriate for the individual.”
The Rhode Island ACLU and Youth Pride Inc. issued a joint statement on the change.
[C]urrent medical consensus is clear that surgery is neither appropriate nor necessary for many transgender people, and such a requirement therefore imposes an unreasonable and unwarranted burden.
Beyond the intrinsic value of having a birth certificate that corresponds to their identity, transgender people may have a strong need to change the gender marker on their birth certificate for many critical reasons related to employment, schooling, as well as social recognition of their gender.
This is another great step towards equality and inclusion for transgender Rhode Islanders.
These updated regulations will now allow transgender people to obtain accurate birth certificates that match their other vital documents, as they access employment, housing, education, and many other systems that require this documentation.
--Kerri Kanelos, Youth Pride executive director
[A]dopting the new regulations “goes a long way in furthering the state’s leadership in protecting transgender rights.
Rhode Island was one of the first states to ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. Yet we know that transgender individuals continue to face severe and blatant discrimination.
It is critical that they be able to obtain, without unnecessary obstacles, essential documentation from the state to accurately reflect their identity,
--Steven Brown, ACLU
Of course, we all know that conservative forces believe that changing birth certificates is done for purposes of fraud. In their view, anything once written upon a birth certificate should stand forever.
That's why, for instance, I should forever be addressed by my real (i.e. birth) name: Baby Serven
Clearly it was written in my DNA.