NJ to let residents change gender on birth certificates in Feb.

TRENTON — New Jersey will begin allowing individuals to change the stated gender on their birth certificates in February.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed the law last July that would allow for the change, and  — including for those individuals who have not had sex reassignment procedures. The bill additionally allows for an individual's gender identity to be used on a death certificate. The bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and the state Senate by a 30-7 vote with 3 members not voting.

The law is known as the "Babs Siperstein Law," after the Jersey City native who was the first openly transgender member of the Democratic National Committee. Siperstein is currently part of the leadership of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee and topped NJ Insider 'NJ's 2018 LGBT Powerlist'.

Those who change their listed gender to male, female or "undesignated/non-binary" will have to pay $6 for a new certificate to replace their original one. The original certificate will be sealed.

Current residents born in another state will be able to make the change as well, with state courts ready to issue an order if necessary.

When he signed the bill, Murphy said allowing vital records to match gender identity "is an important step forward that will allow transgender individuals to control the disclosure of their transgender status."

"I am immensely proud of Gov. Murphy for not only standing with our community, but also seeing that equality reaches everyone in New Jersey. Transgender people have long stood in solidarity with LGB people and here at Garden State Equality we make sure nobody is left behind,” Christian Fuscarino, executive director of Garden State Equality, said in a press release provided by Murphy's office at the time.

Clarification: The headline and first paragraph of this story have been revised to remove the term "transgender birth certificate" — while the Babs Siperstein Law is intended to respect the needs of the transgender community as well as those of non-binary or intersex status, there is no designation that marks transgender status on a birth certificate. 

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ