Stacie Ray was born a man. It’s right there on the birth certificate. But Stacie Ray, along with Jane Doe, Ashley Breda and Basil Argento, insists the birth certificate is wrong. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), they have sued the state of Ohio for refusing to change their birth certificates to reflect their updated gender.
Susan Becker, general counsel for the Ohio branch of the ACLU rebuked the state’s decision: “A birth certificate purports to tell the world about who we are. Ohio’s birth certificate policy, however, refuses to provide transgender individuals --- and only transgender individuals --- with a birth certificate that accurately conveys their gender identity.”
Aaron Baer, who serves as president of the Citizens for Community Values, accused the ACLU of wasting taxpayer money.
It's about whether politics trumps biology.
In a statement, he said, “With this lawsuit, the ACLU is sacrificing medical accuracy for political ideology by attempting to force the state to falsify official records. A birth certificate that doesn’t accurately reflect the biological realities of an individual becomes a meaningless, if not harmful, document. Make no mistake, this lawsuit isn’t about whether Ohioans can be supportive of people with gender dysphoria --- it’s about whether politics trumps biology.”
Alongside Kansas and Tennessee, Ohio is among the few states still prohibiting identity changes on birth certificates. Earlier this month, a judge ruled a similar policy in Idaho was unconstitutional.
A violation of their rights. Specifically, the God-given right to identify as a man or a woman regardless of biology.
