News (USA)

Transgender birth certificate change gets initial approval in Colorado House

Transgender birth certificate change gets initial approval in Colorado House

Colorado

DENVER — 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.

Article continues below

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.

© 2015, Associated Press, All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Don't forget to share:

Support vital LGBTQ+ journalism

Reader contributions help keep LGBTQ Nation free, so that queer people get the news they need, with stories that mainstream media often leaves out. Can you contribute today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated

Backlash intensifies as businesses, performers, states boycott Indiana over religious freedom law

Previous article

Indiana family wants you to know their Christian pizzeria won’t cater a same-sex wedding

Next article