Public Comment Period, eh?

[Trigger warning for transphobia]

The State of Illinois has announced proposed revisions to the rules governing the changing of birth certificates.

You can find them here.

Here's my summary of the rules pertaining to changing the sex on one's Illinois birth certificate:

If you're a trans woman, and you want your birth certificate to say you're a woman (and you undoubtedly do), you need to...:

"present the Department with a completed affidavit, signed by a physician licensed to practice medicine in the U.S. or its territories, clearly demonstrating that after a personal examination of the applicant, who provided positive proof of identity in the form of a passport, State/territory-issued driver's license or State/territory-issued photo ID card, the physician has personally determined that [you've got a vagina]."

If you're a trans man, you have to provide an similarly creepy affidavit (from a physician licensed in the U.S.) that details how you don't have a uterus, and do have a penis.

This isn't the worst policy I've seen regarding changing the sex on birth certificates (in some places, you can't change the sex at all), but it's pretty bad. Illinois could do a lot better.

I don't have the energy to explain why this is bullshit. It just is. I don't have a vagina, and I'm a woman. There's my explanation.

If you would like to comment on the proposed revisions to Illinois Vital Records Code (77 Ill. Adm. Code 500), the state has a convenient link that you can access between now and February 28th.