Major Victory For Transgender Rights

Major Victory For Transgender Rights
By David Mixner
Copyright By David Mixner
Jun 11 2010
http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/06/major-victory-for-transgender-rights.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29


In a stunning ruling that even caught many in the Transgender community by surprise, the United States State Department announced new guidelines for gender changes in passports. Sex reassignment surgery is no longer required to change one's gender on the passport. The news was broken last night by PamsHouseBlend.com and was confirmed in an official State Department release this morning. The release said:

"Beginning June 10, when a passport applicant presents a certification from an attending medical physician that the applicant has undergone appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition, the passport will reflect the new gender. The guidelines include detailed information about what information the certification must include. It is also possible to obtain a limited-validity passport if the physician's statement shows the applicant is in the process of gender transition. No additional medical records are required. Sexual reassignment surgery is no longer a prerequisite for passport issuance. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad can also be amended with the new gender.

As with all passport applicants, passport issuing officers at embassies and consulates abroad and domestic passport agencies and centers will only ask appropriate questions to obtain information necessary to determine citizenship and identity."

The Trangender Legal Defense and Education Fund Executive Director Michael Silverman responded to this major victory:

"Transgender Americans face extreme danger when traveling abroad in the many countries that are hostile to them. Adoption of this safety-focused policy is a giant step forward in protecting transgender Americans abroad, and in fulfilling the State Department's commitment to protect all Americans when they travel, work or live overseas,"