The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has modernized the standard and process for changing gender markers on birth certificates. As a result, proof of surgery is no longer required.
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) has worked extensively with advocates and policymakers in Massachusetts and throughout New England to implement this vital change. With the revision, the Commonwealth joins Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and five other states plus D.C. in modernizing the process by which transgender people can receive an accurate birth certificate. [pullquote]“When transgender people cannot get identity documents that accurately reflect a person’s gender identity, we are vulnerable to discrimination, harassment, and violence.” —Jennifer Levi, director of GLAD’s Transgender Rights Project[/pullquote]
“This is a critical advance for the Commonwealth’s transgender citizens,” said Jennifer Levi, director of GLAD’s Transgender Rights Project. “When transgender people cannot get identity documents that accurately reflect a person’s gender identity, we are vulnerable to discrimination, harassment, and violence.”
Updated forms and instructions for requesting a gender marker change are available now at: http://goo.gl/HelRYv.
GLAD will issue an updated tool kit to assist Massachusetts residents seeking to make a change to the gender marker on their birth certificate. In the meantime, anyone seeking further information is encouraged to contact GLAD Answers at 800-455-GLAD or www.gladanswers.org.
Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.
[From a News Release]
