Transgender Birth Certificate Change Wins House Approval
DENVER (AP) - Transgender Colorado residents moved a step closer Wednesday to being able to change the gender listings on their birth certificates without getting surgery.
The Democrat-led House gave preliminary approval to the plan over objections from some Republicans who opposed a provision allowing original birth certificates to be sealed, instead of having them marked to say the gender has been changed.
The bill passed on an unrecorded voice vote after a lively debate.
Rep. Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, said the surgery requirement and the process for getting a judge to approve the change need to be dismantled.
"It's intrusive. It requires people to go to a court, in front of a room full of strangers, and explain why they are changing the gender marker on their birth certificate," Moreno said.
RELATED: Bill To Allow Birth Certificate Gender Change In Colorado Wins Support
However, Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt, R-Colorado Springs, called some gender change cases "psychological confusion."
"I don't think the government should be joining in the confusion that's in someone's mind," Klingenschmitt said.
A recorded House vote is required before the bill moves to the Senate, where it faces an uphill battle in the GOP-controlled chamber.
LINK: House Bill 1265
- By Kristen Wyatt, AP Writer
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