Transgender people in Puerto Rico can now modify their birth certificates to match their gender identity after activists won a lawsuit against the US territory鈥檚 governor.
The change, which went into effect Monday, will comply with a ruling from the US District Court for Puerto Rico, which in April struck down the island鈥檚 policy preventing transgender people living there from correcting gender on birth certificates.
鈥淭he right to identify our own existence lies at the heart of one鈥檚 humanity,鈥� wrote US District Judge Carmen Consuelo Cerezo at the time. 鈥淎nd so, we must heed their voices: 鈥榯he woman that I am,鈥� 鈥榯he man that I am.'鈥�
The latest victory for the LGBT community leaves just three US states that prohibit amending the gender marker on the official identification documents: Kansas, Ohio and Tennessee.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a relief to finally have a birth certificate that truly reflects who I am,鈥� said one of the plaintiffs, Daniela Arroyo, in a statement released by Lambda Legal, an LGBT civil rights nonprofit.
Omar Gonzalez Pagan, a lawyer for Lambda Legal, said the group had already filed suit against Ohio鈥檚 rule.
In its statement the group said almost one-third of transgender people whose identity documents are at odds with the gender they appear to be have been denied benefits or services and faced harassment or assault.聽 聽/vvp