The Significance of the New State Department "Gender Change" Policy

[Butterfly]

The Significance of the New State Department "Gender Change" Policy
The Bilerico Project
Filed by: Dr. Jillian T. Weiss
June 10, 2010 1:00 PM


http://www.bilerico.com/2010/06/the_significance_of_the_new_state_department_gende.php


The U.S. Department of State has announced new policy guidelines regarding gender change in passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad.

The previous policy, which was never made publicly available, required a surgeon's affidavit documenting specific sex reassignment surgery procedures used (and often non-US affidavits were not accepted), and restricted change in the sex marker on passports to those who had "sex reassignment surgery." I got a copy of the previous policy after a FOIA request during my own passport woes. There are different kinds of surgery that might be considered in aid of "sex reassignment," but the policy didn't specify. Passport issuance often depended on the interpretation of the particular official who reviewed the application.

The new policy is not yet publicly available, but the press release says that it will require certification from an attending medical physician that the applicant has undergone "appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition."