DC votes unanimously on a birth certificate amendment

Thu, Jul 11, 2013

In a unanimous second vote, the D.C. Council passed a bill July 10 which will allow transgender and intersex individuals to amend their birth certificate to reflect their gender expression with significantly less hassle than in the past. The JaParker Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Equality Amendment Act of 2013 was named after a transgender woman, Deoni Jones, who was murdered at a bus stop in Northeast D.C. in 2012.The bill will now go to Mayor Vincent Gray (D) who will presumably sign it into law. Once it becomes official, the legislation will undergo a 30-day review by Congress. Assuming there are no roadblocks, the bill will go into effect in the fall of 2013.

The new regulations will require the person requesting a new birth certificate to obtain a written document from a doctor who can speak on the behalf of the individual, confirming their gender identity and that they have undergone appropriate treatment. The past prerequisite required the person to have undergone gender reassignment surgery before the amendment could be made; this will no longer be necessary.

Additionally, the individual will no longer be required to inform the local newspaper of their gender transition, nor will they need to go to D.C. for a required court hearing. Instead, individuals requesting an amended birth certificate may obtain a court order asking that the court issue a new birth certificate.

This change in process “is vital because the current birth certificate name [and gender] change process creates multiple barriers for transgender people,” D.C. Trans Coalition (DCTC) Social Policy Organizer Andy Bowen said in an interview with 429Magazine in June. “[It will] increase opportunity and a sense of well being for trans people.”

Continue reading at:  http://dot429.com/articles/2603-dc-votes-unanimously-on-a-birth-certificate-amendment