The Vermont State House of Representatives approved a bill (H.628) making it easier to amend one’s birth certificate to match their gender identity. The House passed the bill yesterday and will send it over to the Senate for consideration.
Reports VT Digger:
The Vermont bill would allow individuals to self-attest their gender identity, streamlining a process that currently involves courts and doctors.
The legislation also grants rule-making authority to the state Department of Health to add additional pronouns in the future, striving to “foster a gender literate environment,” according to the bill.
If H.628 becomes law, Vermont would join 14 other states and Washington, D.C., in recognizing a third gender marker — an “X” — on birth certificates.
In an interview with VTDigger, [State Rep. Taylor] Small stressed that the bill would not create a new process but rather update and simplify a process that already exists.
“There is not a significant change other than helping those in the trans and nonbinary community to be able to see themselves validated on their vital records,” she said.
