Utah Republican to Stop Trans People from Changing Gender on Birth Certificates

Merrill Nelson, a Utah Republican, has drafted legislation to stop trans people from changing their gender on birth certificates and official documents, reports the Advocate.

House Bill 153 sets to define gender as “the innate and immutable characteristics established at conception.”

“It is a fiction to change the sex designation on a birth certificate—a vital record—based on fluctuating gender,” Nelson said.

“Gender identification, based on one’s self-perception, may vary.

“While gender identification is subjective, a person’s sex, as male or female, is determined objectively by science and medicine.

“The birth certificate records ‘sex,’ not ‘gender identity.’ Therefore, gender identity should not be used to change the sex designation on the birth certificate.”

“This bill is clearly aimed at hurting the Utah transgender community,”said Troy Williams, executive director of Equality Utah.

“(It is) an egregious step backward for transgender Utahns.”

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