Trangendered Individuals and Ohio Laws

I was born in Toledo, Ohio. In fact, the hospital I was born in is only about five minutes from the Ohio-Michigan border. What a difference a border makes! When it comes to Trangendered Law and Ohio, there are many hurdles. When it comes to Transgendered Law and Michigan, it is a completely different story.

I am so very grateful that I live in Michigan. I could benefit from living closer to either Detroit or Ann Arbor, but this post isn’t about that. It’s about the law and transgenderism. Living in Michigan means I can easily change my name and gender with very few obstacle, so long as I meet the criteria for being transgendered, of course. If I had been born in Michigan, my birth certificate (the old one) would be sealed up and a new one would be issued, no muss, no fuss.

Seeing as I was born in Ohio, the story changes. While my ID, social security and other things are easily being changed to reflect the legal and physical changes I’m undergoing, my birth certificate will not be changed. Ohio will not list my gender as male, no matter the circumstances. It’s a bit of a jip if you ask me. Add in the fact that Ohio doesn’t seal the old certificate. They scratch out your old name, though you can still read it, and attach an addendum sheet with your new name listed.

This makes getting a passport hell. I am unable to marry my longtime girlfriend, because the state refuses to recognize me as male legally without my birth certificate stating that. If I was born in Michigan this wouldn’t be an issue in the least. I can’t use my birth certificate as a form of identification without every agency knowing my private history. It’s a bit disturbing and I have to wonder why nothing is being done by the legal and transgendered communities in Ohio.

Right now would be the time to start a campaign to change the law. For the first time, in a long time, the state is run by Democrats, so it’s the ideal time for social change to occur. It doesn’t matter where I move, the birth certificate is from Ohio, so I’ll never have the same shake those in other states have.

With that in mind, only two other states have such harsh, transgendered laws. It’s time for Ohio to chance the discriminatory ways. So, if you live in Ohio and think this law sucks, why not contact your state representatives and ask them to change the law? I’ve done it for my old representatives and I’ve even tried contacting a lawyer who had been looking to change the law, but apparently she abandoned all hope of doing that.

If you are transgendered and from Ohio, I’d love to hear your story!

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