Another State Has Changed Their Birth Certificate Rules

New York joins four other states and the District of Columbia that allow you to change your birth certificate without surgery.

New York drops surgery rule for changing sex on birth certificate
Reuters
By Jonathan Allen
June 5, 2014

(Reuters) - Transgender people born in New York state, with the exception of New York City, will no longer have to prove that they have had sex-reassignment surgery to change the sex marked on their birth certificate, Governor Andrew Cuomo's office said on Thursday.
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Under the policy, a transgender person will still need to provide a notarized affidavit from the doctor treating them for what the American Psychiatric Association calls gender dysphoria, previously known as gender identity disorder, in order to get their birth certificate modified.

But under the policy the doctor will no longer need to affirm that their patient has had surgery, only that they are receiving "appropriate treatment."

The other states where you can change you birth certificate without surgery are Vermont, California, Oregon, Iowa, and Washington, D.C.

There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to change your birth certificate without surgery, it is does it provide proof of where you were born. You need it in order to get a passport and the State Department doesn’t ask you to strip in order to prove who you are and neither does a prospective employer. What is between your legs is not important to prove your citizenship.