Wyoming Supreme Court clears path for transgender woman to change the gender marker on her birth certificate
Lower court had refused to issue a court order to allow a trans woman to amend her birth certificate
The Wyoming Supreme Court has ruled that a lower court can issue an order allowing transgender Wyoming residents to change the gender marker on their birth certificates to reflect their gender identity.
Last week, the state’s highest court heard the case, in which a transgender woman, only identified by her initials, had sought a gender-marker change.
She hit a roadblock when the Laramie County District Court ruled that it didn’t have the authority to grant an order allowing her to amend her birth certificate.
In order to amend the gender marker on her birth certificate, the woman must obtain a court order and present that to the Wyoming Department of Health, which will then issue the change.
When when the district court refused to issue the order, it left the woman in limbo. She and her lawyers then appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court.
The high court ultimately ruled that issuing orders to amend gender markers was within the jurisdiction of the courts.
That means that the woman will be able to go back to the Laramie County District Court to request — and this time, receive — the order, thus allowing her to amend the gender marker on her birth certificate, reports the Casper Star-Tribune.
George Powers, the Cheyenne attorney representing the transgender woman, said he was “pleased” with the state Supreme Court’s ruling.
“Our client is a transgender woman, who simply wants to exercise her rights under existing Wyoming law,” he said in a statement to the Star-Tribune. “The law provides that every citizen in Wyoming has a right to ask for an amendment to their birth certificate, but first they must obtain a court order.”
Powers continued: “When our client tried to exercise her rights, the trial court concluded that it did not have jurisdiction to consider her petition and denied her request without reaching the merits.”
Read more:
350+ LGBTQ organizations call for transformational change in policing
Chicago high school student charged with fatally shooting transgender woman
No charges will be filed against Colorado State Patrol trooper who shot transgender woman in May
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.