Bills restricting birth certificate changes for transgender people could open up trans people to discrimination and violence, as these documents are oftentimes required to update other official documents, such as passports and driver’s licenses. According to a 2015 survey from the National Center for Trans Equality, one third of respondents reported being discriminated against, harassed, assaulted, when presenting an ID, driver’s license, or birth certificate with outdated information.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana has already vowed to sue if SB 280 is signed into law. In a statement to them., Executive Director Caitlin Borgmann said that “accurate birth certificates are essential” in the lives of trans people
“They are foundational to our ability to access a variety of benefits such as employment and housing and to navigate the world freely and safely,” Borgmann said. “This bill would force many trans Montanans to go through life with inaccurate birth certificates, and force them to disclose their trans identity when seeking essential needs.”
“This onslaught of anti-trans bills is nothing short of discrimination by design,” she added. “It must stop.”
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Senate approved SB 228, which would ban transgender high school and middle school students from participating in team sports based on their gender identity. As the Tennesean reports, the bill does not include any exemptions for trans athletes receiving gender-affirming medical care — which is the required standard by athletics bodies like the International Olympic Committee.
The measure, which passed 27 to 6 on Monday, has been sent to the state’s House for consideration. Tennessee’s House of Representatives has already set into motion a similar bill, which is currently passing through committees.
Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, told them. the mere proposal of the bill is damaging because it stigmatizes and alienates transgender youth.
During debate on the bill, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee claimed that allowing trans students to participate in athletics would “destroy women’s sports.”
“Imagine being a transgender teen hearing your governor say that,” Sanders said. “Unfortunately, the transgender community of our state doesn’t have to imagine it.”
Sanders predicted SB 228 would likely become law, even despite the fact that local trans advocacy groups were not allowed to give input on the bill prior to its introduction. “We regularly say that legislators should listen to those most affected,” he said. “The Senate sponsor of the bill admitted during debate that he had not consulted the transgender community.”
According to The Hill, the three bills that advanced this week are among more than 60 anti-trans proposals up for consideration this year, representing the majority of U.S. state legislatures. The measures primarily target trans athletes who wish to play school sports in accordance with their gender identity and trans youth seeking affirming health care. Last year, only one state, Idaho, passed a bill restricting trans students to competing in sports based on birth-assigned sex, and no state has ever limited medical care to trans youth.
If signed into law, these bills could be extremely damaging for trans youth. According to the Trevor Project, a 2020 survey from the national suicide prevention organization found that trans and nonbinary youth who experience gender identity discrimination had more than double the odds of attempting suicide in the past year.
Despite these disappointing developments, a number of states have rejected attempts to target transgender people this year. In February, a South Dakota Senate committee unanimously voted against a House-approved measure that would have banned trans individuals from changing their birth certificates. And last week, Utah’s Republican governor, Spencer Cox, condemned House Bill 302, a proposal that would have forced transgender female student athletes out of women’s sports. The bill was swiftly killed following his comments.
“If you have not spent time with transgender youth, then I would encourage you to pause on this issue,” Cox said, according to Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX. “We have so many people who are in a very difficult spot right now.”
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