Transgender Status Bills Sent to N.J. Governor for Signature

Three transgender status bills have been sent to Governor Phil Murphy, who promised to sign them. One would make it easier for residents to change the gender on their birth certificates. Under current law, a person seeking to amend the gender on their birth certificate must have undergone gender reassignment surgery. But not all people undergo surgery to change their gender. The birth certificate bill would change the law to require residents to submit a form affirming under penalty of perjury that the request for a change in gender is to conform with that person’s gender identity and is not for any fraudulent purpose. The bill also allows residents to identify their gender as “non-binary” for persons who don’t identify as male or female.