When it comes to basic rights and protections, we know that trans folks suffer when compared to cisgender people. Whether it’s about bathroom access, the chance to play sports, or accessing safe, gender-affirming medical care, trans people have fewer protections and rights than cisgender people. And it’s a difference that exists only on paper, either; trans people also report high rates of transphobic and discriminatory experiences while seeking medical help, even for reasons that have nothing to do with gender identity. We’ve celebrated some recent wins, lately, but unfortunately, sometimes those wins come with a step backward.
A recent example comes to us out of Oklahoma. Republican Governor Kevin Stitt directed the State Department of Health to cease issuing birth certificates with a nonbinary option, as reported by Tulsa World. Mind you, the agency has already agreed to issue inclusive birth certificates as part of a civil case settlement. But Stitt, apparently, isn’t willing to let nonbinary folks have even a little bit of dignity.
In Stitt’s executive order, which he issued on Monday, Nov. 8, he directs the agency to remove any references on its website to amending birth certificates that he feels are inconsistent with state law. He went on to encourage the state legislature (which returns next year) to pass a bill specifying that a nonbinary birth certificate option goes against state law.
And if you’re hoping to give the first-term governor the benefit of the doubt, he made his stance pretty clear. As reported by local outlet KFOR, Stitt said he believes God created people to be male or female “period” and that there is “no such thing as nonbinary sex.”
“I wholeheartedly condemn the OSDH court settlement that was entered into by rogue activists who acted without receiving proper approval or oversight,” he said in a statement issued after Lorelied’s victory.
As some background, Kit Vivien Lorelied, a nonbinary person who uses they/them pronouns, filed a lawsuit against the health department in the summer of 2020. The department had denied Lorelied’s request to have their name and sex updated on their birth certificate in 2019. The agency said it could change Lorelied’s name, but that a nonbinary sex option was not possible. In the end, the department issued Lorelied a correct birth certificate, with the nonbinary designation, in October of 2021.
Why is a birth certificate so important? Just think about all of the scenarios in which you need to show one. Job applications, housing applications, applying for a new or updated form of identification, like a passport or a driver’s license… The list goes on. Having an accurate legal document is so important on a literal level, not to mention the importance of validation and affirmation when it comes to emotional well-being and a sense of self. Inconsistencies can also “out” people, which can open folks up to discrimination and violence.
A number of states now allow people to have nonbinary identities reflected on official documents, and the U.S. State Department even recently announced it had issued its first nonbinary passport. Dozens of countries around the world also issue nonbinary passports.
A recent example comes to us out of Oklahoma. Republican Governor Kevin Stitt directed the State Department of Health to cease issuing birth certificates with a nonbinary option, as reported by Tulsa World. Mind you, the agency has already agreed to issue inclusive birth certificates as part of a civil case settlement. But Stitt, apparently, isn’t willing to let nonbinary folks have even a little bit of dignity.
In Stitt’s executive order, which he issued on Monday, Nov. 8, he directs the agency to remove any references on its website to amending birth certificates that he feels are inconsistent with state law. He went on to encourage the state legislature (which returns next year) to pass a bill specifying that a nonbinary birth certificate option goes against state law.
And if you’re hoping to give the first-term governor the benefit of the doubt, he made his stance pretty clear. As reported by local outlet KFOR, Stitt said he believes God created people to be male or female “period” and that there is “no such thing as nonbinary sex.”
“I wholeheartedly condemn the OSDH court settlement that was entered into by rogue activists who acted without receiving proper approval or oversight,” he said in a statement issued after Lorelied’s victory.
As some background, Kit Vivien Lorelied, a nonbinary person who uses they/them pronouns, filed a lawsuit against the health department in the summer of 2020. The department had denied Lorelied’s request to have their name and sex updated on their birth certificate in 2019. The agency said it could change Lorelied’s name, but that a nonbinary sex option was not possible. In the end, the department issued Lorelied a correct birth certificate, with the nonbinary designation, in October of 2021.
Why is a birth certificate so important? Just think about all of the scenarios in which you need to show one. Job applications, housing applications, applying for a new or updated form of identification, like a passport or a driver’s license… The list goes on. Having an accurate legal document is so important on a literal level, not to mention the importance of validation and affirmation when it comes to emotional well-being and a sense of self. Inconsistencies can also “out” people, which can open folks up to discrimination and violence.
A number of states now allow people to have nonbinary identities reflected on official documents, and the U.S. State Department even recently announced it had issued its first nonbinary passport. Dozens of countries around the world also issue nonbinary passports.