LINKThe transgender community nationwide is stigmatized and prejudiced every day because people often have a hard time embracing differences. Presenting a birth certificate that registers a different gender than the one we visually see has a massive snowball effect. People need birth certificates to prove work eligibility when starting a new job, to obtain drivers licenses, passports and to apply for many housing programs and social services. Having a birth certificate that shows the "wrong gender" leads to severe discrimination and can make doing any one of those things — even using a public bathroom — difficult or virtually impossible. Providing a document with a gender other than what the public sees, can often lead to accusations of fraud, harassment, humiliation and sometimes may even force him or her to take extreme measures. A 17-year-old woman ran away from work and entered the sex industry to earn money for hormones that she bought on the black market. Arrested for solicitation, she was placed in the juvenile justice system, where they denied her access to the hormones — despite her doctor and parents pleas that she needed them for court.
