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[–] Rostin 0 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago  (edited ago)

This may be a stupid question, but why should people be allowed to change their birth certificates?

As far as I know, if someone legally changes her name, no update is made to the birth certificate. It records her name at birth, which never changes.

Similarly, even if a person chooses to identify as a different gender and undergoes sex reassignment, her birth sex would not change.

What am I missing?

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[–] bayesianqueer ago 

As a society, the less enfranchised you are (youth, prisoners, homeless, enlisted in the military vs officers, etc) the more you are subject to sex segregation.

Most enfranchised people don't really need this. However if you are on the short end of the societal stick, your birth certificate is a more important identity marker. Without one that matches your gender identity and presentation this can make people who are already the most vulnerable members of society doubly subject to discrimination and even violence.

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[–] zoetry ago 

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[–] Rostin ago 

Thanks for the link, but it doesn't answer my question. It just says it's "important" and then lists, state-by-state, where it's legal.