Transgender minors will now be allowed to change the sex designation on their birth certificate, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday.
New York has allowed transgender individuals to change the gender on their birth certificates since 2014. It has also required these teens to have a notarized note from a physician confirming all surgical procedures have been completed for a sex change.
However, this move ends the physical evaluation and allows teens 16 years old and younger to submit an application to change the sex on their birth certificate through a parent or guardian.
"Effective immediately, transgender individuals born in New York will have the right to make this deeply personal decision without the governments unwarranted denial or without having their privacy violated," James said.
This Department of Health policy change comes after a transgender teen who was born in Ithaca sued the state for not allowing him to change the sex on his birth certificate. The teen said the state was not "respecting his identity."
The lawsuit was filed around two months ago.