Texas suddenly stops allowing gender maker updates on Birth Certificates

Texas is now the 8th state to have discriminatory policies or laws banning trans people from updating Birth Certificates. 

On Friday, August 30, 2024, the Texas Department of Vital Statistics without notice blocked trans people from updating their Birth Certificates.

That came just days after the state removed a single line from the drivers license policy blocking court ordered gender marker changes on Driver Licence.

The archived webpage shows how the policy used to read before August 30.

Texas law permits changes to birth certificates if proven “by satisfactory evidence to be inaccurate.” However, it doesn’t allow state agencies to make substantive policy changes without 30 days’ notice and a public comment period.

Johnathan Gooch with Equality Texas, an LGBTQ rights organization, said that this change will affect transgender Texans' ability to carry out everyday, necessary tasks like opening a bank account.

"Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has bullied state agencies into denying the specific types of updates that transgender Texans need," Gooch added. "Ironically, that means the state’s top legal officer has instructed state agencies to deny court orders from state judges. So, what should be a simple administrative task has now become a nightmare."