Legislation that would make it easier for transgender people to change genders on their birth certificates is one step closer to becoming law.
Currently, residents who want to amend their birth certificates in Hawaii need to undergo a medical sex change. The new bill would change that process to only require a note from a physician.
Attorney Rebecca Copeland is an advocate with Equality Hawai‘i, and a parent of a transgender teen. She says the bill would have a huge impact on the transgender community, especially for individuals who don’t want to have surgery or can’t afford it.
The bill now goes to a floor vote in the Senate and the House this week. If passed into law, Hawai‘i would become the seventh state, along with the District of Columbia, to allow gender change on birth certificates without surgery.
