Activists applaud new policy on passports, gender
By From Staff Reports
Jun 10, 2010 - 5:55:01 PM
http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/article_13003.phpNCTE's Keisling calls change in guidelines a 'significant advance'
The U.S. Department of State this week announced new policy guidelines on when gender markers can be changed on passports, drawing praise across the board from LGBT activists.
Under the new guidelines, transgender travelers no longer are required to have undergone gender reassignment surgery before they can change the gender marker on their passport.
Now, an applicant need only present certification from an attending medical physician stating that the applicant has undergone "appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition," according to a statement released Wednesday, June 9, by the Department of State.
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Passport Rules Eased for Transgender People
By Kerry Eleveld and Julie Bolcer
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/06/10/US_Passport_Rules_Eased_for_Transgender_People/The U.S. State Department Wednesday announced passport rules that removed a strict requirement that applicants must undergo gender-reassignment surgery before qualifying for a gender change on their passport.
According to the State Department, "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." Applicants can also obtain "a limited-validity passport" if the physician's statement shows they are in the process of transitioning to a new gender. No additional medical records are required, and gender-reassignment surgery is no longer a prerequisite for passport issuance.
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Change in passport gender policy
by Hannah Clay Wareham
Associate Editor
Thursday Jun 10, 2010
http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=106784Beginning June 10, passports will be able to reflect gender transition without requiring proof of surgery.
After the applicant presents a certification from a medical physician stating that the applicant has undergone clinical treatment for gender transition, their passport will be changed to reflect the new gender. Gender reassignment surgery is no longer a requirement for changing one's gender on a passport, and no additional medical records are required. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad can also be changed in the same manner.
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State Department Announces New Standards for Passport Gender Changes
HRC Praises Change, New Policy Lifts an Unnecessary Barrier for Many Transgender Americans
6/10/2010
http://www.hrc.org/14542.htmWASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign – the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization – today praised the State Department for instituting a new policy, effective immediately, regarding gender change in passports, as well as Consular Reports of Birth Abroad. Under these new rules, an applicant can change his or her gender on a passport by presenting certification from a physician that he or she has undergone appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition, and can obtain a limited-validity passport if the physician indicates that he or she is in the process of gender transition. Previously, an applicant seeking to change his or her gender marker on a passport had to present a physician certification that he or she had completed gender reassignment surgery. The new rules are more consistent with passport gender change procedures in other nations, as well as policies regarding other identity documents, such as driver's licenses and birth certificates, in a number of states.
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New Passport Rules Ease Switch for Transgenders
By Katy Steinmetz Saturday, Jun. 12, 2010
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1996302,00.htmlThe State Department is marking Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month — a designation instituted by President Obama last year — with something much more lasting than a parade. On June9, it published new guidelines for citizens wishing to change the gender listed on their passports, embracing policy that will make the switch much easier.
For decades, the State Department had required that transgender individuals, who identify with a gender other than their physical sex, have "sexual reassignment surgery" — a term that doesn't have a clear definition in the medical community — before they were permitted to change their passport listing. Now a note from their physician stating that they have undergone clinical treatment for a "gender transition" will net them a new passport valid for two years. (Regular passports are good for 10.)
