Connecticut Passes Transgender Rights Bill

The ACLU of Connecticut applauds the passage of a bill that will enable transgender people to change their birth certificate to the appropriate gender without invasive requirements.

Stephen Glassman, Executive Director of the ACLU of Connecticut, said, “This is the arc of history bending toward justice for transgender people. As one of the earliest states to recognize and affirm gender identity and expression in our laws, we have now made this important additional step toward recognizing people as they self-identify with regard to their gender.”

Connecticut law previously included a state Department of Health requirement that people show proof of surgery before they were able to change the gender market on their birth certificate. This burdensome condition denied recognition to thousands of people as well as those who could not afford such a procedure.

The new bill empowers healthcare providers with the ability to make a recommendation as to whether a person’s birth certificate should be corrected. The criteria could include "surgical, hormonal, or other treatment appropriate to the individual for the purpose of gender transition.”

Glassman said, “This modernizes our outdated laws and makes Connecticut a national leader once again in an evolving understanding of transgender rights.”

The ACLU of Connecticut made a recommendation to update birth certificate amendment standards in partnership with a coalition of groups including Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, True Colors, Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition, Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, and others.

H.B. No. 7006 passed by a vote of 32-3 in the Senate and 126-18 in the House.