Update: On July 19, 2019, Governor Sununu vetoed the bill. Despite this disappointing news, we are optimistic that next year we can pass an even stronger version of HB 466.

On April 2, 2019, GLAD Staff Attorney Chris Erchull delivered testimony on HB 466, An Act Relative to Initiating Amendments and Corrections to Birth Records. This legislation would allow individuals born in New Hampshire to obtain birth records that correctly reflect their gender identity without the anachronistic and incorrect requirement of first obtaining a court order, including those who identify as neither exclusively male nor exclusively female. It is a logical extension of past updates already made to allow transgender people to obtain accurate gender markers on their drivers’ licenses, and it will make everyone safer and more secure.

It also benefits the public interest for individuals to have access to state-issued identification documents that are consistent with one another. Inconsistencies in identification documents can create difficulties in public administration and law enforcement.

By streamlining the process for correcting birth records and introducing a gender marker representing gender identities that are neither male nor female, this bill operates to allow Granite Staters a standardized and consistent manner by which to obtain correct identification documents.