It may be easier for transgender people to change their gender on their birth certificates in Hawaii after the Aloha State passed a new bill, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. Previously, Hawaii residents would have had to undergo gender reassignment surgery if they wanted to make a change to their documents. Now, the state House and Senate have approved a bill that doesn’t make the surgery a requirement. Instead, all they need is a note from their doctor.
It’s a major step for the transgender community because some don’t want to have the surgery and others simply cannot afford it. The bill is now in the hands of Hawaii Gov. David Ige. If it passes, Hawaii will be the seventh state, including the District of Columbia, to make comparable changes to their laws governing birth certificates. Currently California, Iowa, Oregon, New York, Vermont, Washington state and Washington, D.C., do not require evidence of medical surgery.
