Indiana Republican moves to block trans people from ever changing their birth certificates

An Indiana Republican lawmaker wants to make it illegal for transgender people to alter the gender on their birth certificates.

According to Nuvo.net, state Rep. Bruce Borders introduced House Bill No. 1361 on Thursday, which states that "the gender listed on an individual's birth certificate and permanent record made from the birth certificate may not be changed."

Nuvo's Amber Stearns pointed out, "According to the Indiana State Department of Health last year, the gender of a child born in Indiana is recorded by the state, but the information listed on the actual certificate itself is not. That can vary from county to county. A birth certificate from Marion County doesn't look the same as a birth certificate from Posey County or Benton County. The design of a birth certificate can change at the will of county government."

Because a person's birth certificate is forever tied to the state in which they were born, transgender Indianans would be permanently unable to make any changes or amendments to their birth certificate gender.

Trans people's lives are currently strewn with bureaucratic hurdles and catch-22s as they transition from one gender to the other. In some states you must have a birth certificate to obtain a driver's license. Some states will not issue a drivers license to a person whose gender doesn't match that on their birth certificate.

Passports, permits, visas and other legal documents all have various requirements that present specific challenges to trans people. To change one's birth certificate gender can erase a vast array of obstacles for individuals in gender transition.

In addition to his job as a state representative, Borders works as an Elvis impersonator, dressing in spangled costumes and belting out Presley's hits with a live band.

He will appear at The Main Event in Terre Haute on Saturday, Jan. 14 and at McCormick Creek State Park in the Oak Room at the Canyon Inn in Spencer, IN on March 3.