This week, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a report which recommends that states eliminate the requirement for transgender individuals to “undergo surgery or accept sterilization as a condition of obtaining an accurate birth certificate.”
The report also states that gender dysphoria is a serious medical condition and that “the only effective treatment of [gender dysphoria] is medical care to support the person’s ability to live fully consistent with one’s gender identity. Efforts to change a person’s gender identity are futile and, like sexual orientation change efforts, can have a disastrously negative impact on the patient.”
GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders), a group dedicated to ending discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation, is enthusiastic about the report and what it means for transgender people today.
“In our society, birth certificates are not just a record of one’s existence, but a gateway to employment, identity documents, school enrollment, and myriad government programs,” said Gary Buseck, the Interim Executive Director of GLAD. “The everyday lives of transgender people are made easier or much, much harder depending on whether they have accurate birth certificates. We applaud the AMA for putting its considerable weight behind these recommendations.”
The report in its entirety can be read on GLAD's website.
