A bill to allow transgender persons to update their documents without surgery passed in senate on Thursday by a vote of 21-11, Advocate.com reported.
The bill will now make it's way to the desk of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Advocate.com reported.
The bill states transgender people who have, or are currently, undergoing "clinically appropriate treatment for the purpose of gender transition, based on contemporary medical standards, or that the person has an intersex condition," could now change their identification information on their birth certificate.
The bill passed through legislature with 21 votes in senate and 42 in favor of general assembly, according to Advocate.com, adding it is unlikely the legislature would not be able to override the decision because state law says 27 senate votes and 54 general assembly votes are needed to override.
The current law in New Jersey states that in order for a transgender person to change their identification on their birth record, proof is needed to show they have undergone gender-confirming surgery, Advocate.com reported.
The issue is gender-confirming surgery can cost thousands of dollars and is not covered by most health insurance plans, Advocate.com reported. Due to the difficulty in obtaining the surgery, most transgender persons opt for hormone replacement therapy.
These individuals are not allowed to update their birth certificate under current New Jersey law, though most of the New Jersey federal forms of identification, like the Social Security Administration, U.S. State Department and Department of Veterans, can all be updated without any proof of surgery, Advocate.com reported.
The other federal forms of identification that do not require proof of surgery only ask a medical affidavit from a medical provider to confirm the person is receiving clinical treatment, according to Advocate.com.
Due to the lapse in conformity, the different information on different forms causes transgender persons problems of suspicion of fraud, or increased scrutiny, or simply being outed as transgender, Advocate.com reported.
