Transgender teen sues state of New York for refusing to let him correct his birth certificate
A 14-year-old transgender boy is suing the state of New York as he is unable to change the sex listed on his birth certificate.
Identified in the lawsuit by the initials MHW, the high schooler currently lives in Houston, Texas, where he began hormone replacement therapy in September. He has been able to change his name, passport and Social Security card to reflect his gender.
However, his birth certificate remains female because he was born in Ithaca, and the state of New York does not allow minors to change their birth certificates.
Represented by Lambda Legal, he has filed a federal lawsuit in Albany arguing that the discriminatory policy should be changed to bring the laws in line with other states.
Elsewhere in the US, including New York City, underage transgender people are already allowed to change their documentation. The state of New York has allowed people over the age of 18 to change their birth certificates without needing to undergo gender confirmation surgery since 2014.
‘Saved By The Bell’ Reboot To Feature Transgender Teen In Lead Role
The hotly-anticipated “Saved by the Bell” reboot is moving forward with Josie Totah as its star.
Totah will play Lexi, described in press notes as “a beautiful, sharp-tongued cheerleader and the most popular girl at Bayside High” who is both “admired and feared” by her classmates. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news early Monday.
Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley, who starred in the original incarnation of “Saved by the Bell” from 1989 to 1993, will reprise their roles as A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano respectively in the revival. The new series will explore what happens when California Gov. Zack Morris (played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar in the original) closes many of the state’s low-income high schools and reassigns affected students to higher-performing schools, including Bayside High.
The show will air on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, though a release date has yet to be revealed.
News of Totah’s casting comes nearly two afters after the 18-year-old, whose credits include NBC’s “Champions” and the Disney Channel’s “Jessie,” came out as transgender.
Totah, most recently seen on Netflix’s “No Good Nick,” opened up about her gender identity for the first time publicly in a 2018 Time magazine essay.
“In the past, I’ve halfway corrected people by telling them I identify as LGBTQ,” she wrote. “I wasn’t ready to be more specific … I have come to believe that God made me transgender. I don’t feel like I was put in the wrong body. I don’t feel like there was a mistake made.”
“I believe that I am transgender to help people understand differences,” she added. “It allows me to gain perspective, to be more accepting of others, because I know what it feels like to know you’re not like everyone else.”
Love, honesty and kindness: Transgender people share their hopes and dreams for 2020 – and it’s eye-opening
Last year was a tumultuous time of highs and lows for trans and non-binary people.
Sam Smith came out as non-binary and threw non-binary issues into the mainstream, trans representation on our screens increased and a record number of trans people tried (and failed) to represent us in UK politics.
However, promised reform of gender recognition laws kept being delayed, anti-trans hate crimes rocketed and Piers Morgan continued to exist.
But 2020 is a brand-new year, so PinkNews asked trans activists and icons what their hopes are for the year ahead…
