Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Asking to Change Birth Certificate Sex in Tennessee

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by four transgender plaintiffs who argued that the state of Tennessee should allow them to change their biological sex on their birth certificates to match the gender they currently identify as.

Judge Eli Richardson, a Trump appointee, said in his 74-page decision late last week that it is not up to the “Court to say what Tennessee’s policy should be,” but instead to decide whether the current policy violated the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights, as they argued it did. Richardson said the plaintiffs could not prove that the policy violated their rights, and he dismissed the suit.

Read the full story

Reintroduced Bill Would Have Taxpayers Pay to Help Transgender Pennsylvanians Change Their Names

Several leftist members of the Pennsylvania state Senate announced on Monday they are reintroducing a series of bills to help transgender residents change their names — including one measure that would force taxpayers to assist those who are going through the process. 

Senators Tim Kearney (D-Springfield), Amanda Cappelletti (D-Norristown), Katie Muth (D-Royersford) and Lindsey Williams (D-Pittsburgh) complained that transgender constituents often tell them the process of changing their names is onerous. State Representatives Ben Sanchez (D-Abington) and Melissa Shusterman (D-Phoenixville) have reintroduced a House version of the legislation which would allot $2 million to a “Compassionate Name Change Assistance Grant Fund.” 

Read the full story

Democrats Seek Removal of Sex Designation from Pennsylvania Birth Certificates

Pennsylvania state Reps. Benjamin Sanchez (D-Abington) and Joe Webster (D-Collegeville) are planning to introduce a bill to remove male and female designations from Pennsylvania birth certificates.

The two Montgomery-County lawmakers say their proposal would not affect notations of biological sex on the U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth system that is used to gather medical and other statistics.

Read the full story

Court Rules Ohio Must Allow Changes to Birth Certificates of Transgender People

A federal court ruled Wednesday that Ohio must allow changes, or what proponents call corrections, to gender markers on birth certificates, leaving as Tennessee, for the time being, as the only state in the nation not to allow changes.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio struck down the policy that prevented transgender people born in Ohio from adjusting the gender marker on their birth certificate. The decision comes in a lawsuit filed two years on behalf of three Ohio women and one man.

Read the full story