Kansas will no longer change transgender people’s birth certificates to reflect their gender identities, the state health department said Friday, citing a new law that prevents the state from legally recognizing those identities.
The decision from the state Department of Health and Environment makes Kansas one of a handful of states that won’t change transgender people’s birth certificates. It already was among the few states that don’t change the gender marker on transgender people’s driver’s licenses.
Those decisions reverse policies that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration set when she took office in 2019. They came in response to court filings by conservative Republican state Attorney General Kris Kobach to enforce the new state law. Enacted by the GOP-controlled Legislature over Kelly’s veto, it took effect July 1 and defines male and female based only on the sex assigned to a person at birth.
Birth certificate states facts about your birth. These facts don’t change because your birth happens once and then life goes on.
Should I be able to change the dates on my birth certificate so that I can retire early?
Do we not use gender to help identify people in criminal cases? Do we not also use legal documents to help prove facts in court?
I’m all for letting people change their current identity. Want to change it on your passport and driver’s license? Fine. These are documents that are supposed to remain current and expire after some time.
All of these replies are asking why I even care…. I honestly don’t, I’m just saying that OP does have a point in the first half of their comment.