Ill Loosens Birth Certificate Restrictions

Illinois has made it easier for people who have had sex-reassignment surgery to change their birth certificates to reflect their new gender.

"A new policy adopted by the Illinois Department of Vital Records now permits many transgender individuals in Illinois and across the nation to receive a new birth certificate that reflects their accurate gender following sex reassignment surgery overseas," reports the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.

Previously birth certificates could be changed only if a physician who was licensed in the United States performed the surgery.

The Department of Vital Records is also developing new standards for how much surgery a person has to have before he or she is eligible for a new birth certificate.

The ACLU says the state has already issued new birth certificates to three people who had previously been denied them.