Congratulations, Illinois! A New Law Improves Access to Accurate Birth Certificates
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On August 25, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed House Bill 1785, making Illinois the 15th state to modernize its birth certificate gender change procedures and remove burdensome, unnecessary, and often prohibitively expensive surgical requirements.
HB 1785 revises the Illinois Vital Records Act to allow transgender and intersex people to update their birth certificates without undergoing any surgical procedures. Going forward, anyone requesting a change to the sex designation on their birth certificate needs only to submit a declaration from a licensed health care professional affirming their transition-related treatment.
This policy change will take effect January 1, 2018.
