Wow. No interest in a topic, that actually harms Trans people in a concrete way. Let's change the question, then. Is there any source of legal counsel for Trans people who can't pay a lawyer's retainer?
Because I already have my passport and can get it changed, it does not affect me as deeply as a fellow Vermonter who is transitioning but does not already have a passport. She will be forced to produce a birth certificate, to apply for a passport.
NYC controls the birth certificates. In NYC, bureaucrats set AND carry out public policy, not elected representatives. They've got a rigid, decades-old rule that bypasses standards of care, demanding surgery before amending a birth certificate.
Why is this so? New York City, warehouses a significant portion of its population in upstate jails (segregated by gender). Perhaps their unwillingness to cease blocking the civil rights of Trans people is because it would mean a reform of their massive penitentiary system.
What can be done about it?
I want to help my friend, and others in the same position. Maybe New Yorkers are meek in submission to petty authority, but we Vermonters are not. The history of that difference goes all the way back to Ethan Allen.
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Folks,
I'm a Vermont resident (thank goodness) and will very soon have an updated drivers license, medical doctor statement that gender changed is 'irrevocable', Social Security, and court ordered name change. And with any luck, a new passport. The only thing that remains is a fixed birth certificate from New York City.
The wiki and the posts that I've searched for, all show old information. One post mentions a lawsuit a few years ago, but I don't see any followup:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/transgender-yorkers-sue-birth-certificates-genital-surgery-requirement/story?id=13204628&singlePage=trueHas there been a change since the lawsuit? Has anyone been through this process in New York City, with or without surgery? Can one get by with just an orchi? What kinds of documentation are they accepting now?
Please advise.
Thanks,
Karla
