�Թϲ�����

Kansas will allow transgender people to change their birth certificates so the documents reflect their gender identities under a legal settlement that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's young administration and LGBTQ-rights advocates announced Monday. The agreement ends a federal lawsuit filed in October by four transgender individuals and the Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project against officials at the state Department for Health and Environment, which issues birth certificates. (Hanna, 6/24)

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has entered a consent judgment in a federal lawsuit to allow people to legally change the gender in their birth records by submitting a personal sworn statement of gender identity. In addition, they would have to provide a drivers license or passport with their new identity, or an affidavit from a physician or mental health professional attesting to the person’s gender identity. The doctor would have to certify that “based on his or her professional opinion the true gender identity of the applicant and that it is expected that this will continue to be the gender with which the applicant will identify in the future,” the consent judgment said. (Lefler and Shorman, 6/24)

The policy change is significant because birth certificates can determine access to education, employment, healthcare, travel and the ability to obtain other identification documents. “It actually will affect the day-to-day lives of every transgender person born in Kansas,” said Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, senior attorney at Lambda Legal, which represented the plaintiffs. “It means that the state will finally recognize transgender people for who they are and respect that identity.”(Margolies, 6/24)