A City Council panel has approved a bill that would make it easier for transgender New Yorkers to change the sex on their birth certificates.
The legislation, which was proposed by the Department of Health in October, would allow anyone to amend the gender on their birth certificate, provided they had documentation from healthcare professionals like doctors, nurses and therapists confirming the gender change. Currently, individuals have to undergo surgery or hormone therapy in order to alter their birth certificates. Those who don't often go without proper identification, making it difficult for transgender New Yorkers to get jobs, government benefits and health coverage, among other things.
The bill was unanimously approved by the Council’s Health Committee yesterday, according to the Daily News. The full Council will vote on the legislation on Monday.
