Illinois Judge Finalizes New Birth Certificate Rule for Transgender Residents
Windy City Times
7 months 3 weeks ago
Note from GLAAD
Daryl Hannah, Director of Media and Community Partnerships 
A Cook County Judge has approved a court agreement that will allow transgender people to change their Illinois birth certificates without undergoing genital surgery. Judge Michael Hyman has approved the new rule, previously reported by Windy City Times in July: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois sued the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) on behalf of three trans people last year, after the three were told they would need to show proof of genital surgery in order to change the gender markers on their birth certificates.
(The photo of John Knight, LGBT project director of the ACLU, was taken by Jay Geneske)
This is a victory for the community and step forward in recognizing the spectrum of gender identity and expression.