Connecticut lawmakers approve bill making it easier for transgender people to change birth certificates

HARTFORD -- The Connecticut legislature has sent a bill to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy that makes it easier for transgender people to update their names and gender on their birth certificates.

On Monday, the Senate voted 32-3 in favor of the bill that would allow any person who has undergone surgical, hormonal or other clinically appropriate treatment for gender transition to change their sex on their birth certificate. Regulations now only allow people to change the designation after completing gender reassignment surgery.

Stephen Glassman, executive director of ACLU of Connecticut, said the legislation "modernizes our outdated laws and makes Connecticut a national leader once again in an evolving understanding of transgender rights."

Advocates say the course of care for transgender people does not always involve surgery.

For most Americans, a birth certificate is the most important proof of identity. Under the new law, applicants would be able to amend the document with an affidavit from a medical professional indicating they were undergoing hormone therapy or other treatments.

The bill previously passed the House.

Malloy is expected to sign the measure and make Connecticut the seventh state in the nation with similar legislation.