transgender

People born in California can now change the sex on their birth certificates regardless of what state they reside in

Transgender people born in California will be able to change the specified sex on their birth certificate, even if they live outside the state, a California appellate court ruled on Monday.

Gigi Marie Somers, 67, lives in Kansas but was born in Los Angeles and wanted to change her sex on her birth certificate. Somers underwent sex-reassignment surgery in 2005 and has lived as a woman for a decade, according to a press release by the Transgender Law Center, who represented her in court.

Somers was unable to change her California birth certificate from her current state without a court order, which was denied. The California appellate court held 3-0 that all people born in California can petition for a new birth certificate.

"We discern no compelling state interest in treating California-born transgender individuals who reside out of state differently from California-born transgender individuals who reside in California when either class seeks issuance of a new California birth certificate," wrote presiding judge James Marchiano.

A law that would have had the same effect as the court ruling was introduced into the California assembly in February, but has yet to be moved forward by the judiciary committee.

- Advocate.com