Idaho Must Allow Gender Changes on Birth Certificates, Judge Rules

(BOISE, Idaho) — A federal judge says Idaho can’t bar transgender people from changing the sex listed on their birth certificates.In a ruling issued Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale said the rules by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, served no rational government purpose and put transgender people at risk by forcing them to disclose their status when they present identification documents. “A rule providing an avenue to obtain a birth certificate with a listed sex that aligns with an individual’s gender identity promotes the health, well-being, and safety of transgender people without impacting the rights of others,” Dale wrote. Dale gave Idaho until April 6 to begin considering applications to change the sex listed on birth certificates under new, constitutionally sound rules. The ruling also says reissued birth certificates can’t include a record of the gender having been changed. Most states already allow such changes. But Idaho was one of four — including Kansas, Ohio and Tennessee — that prohibited transgender people from changing their birth certificates to reflect their gender identity. The ruling was a response to a lawsuit brought by two transgender women last year who said they faced hostility and harassment at places like grocery stores and government offices because they had to present identification that did not reflect their gender iden...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized APH healthytime idaho onetime Source Type: news