NEW YORK, March 22 (UPI) -- A lawsuit filed Tuesday says New York City places too many obstacles in the way of transgendered people seeking new birth certificates.
The Transgender Educational and Legal Defense Fund filed the action against the city's Health Department, the New York Daily News reported. Those involved in the litigation said the city requires far more information from transgendered people than others seeking new certificates and typically rejects those who have not had a specific type of sex reassignment surgery.
Louis Leonard Birney, formerly Luella Lillian Birney, said he was told he had to supply a detailed report on the surgery, a psychiatric evaluation, a record of the operation and a post-operative examination.
Gabriel Taussig, a city lawyer, said the Health Department must ensure that any changes to birth certificates will not allow them to be used.
