Arizona Can’t Require Surgery to Amend Sex on Birth Certificates

Arizona is permanently barred from requiring transgender people born in the state to have had gender-affirming surgery before they can change the sex marker on their birth certificates, a federal court said.

The US District Court for the District of Arizona entered a permanent injunction against the requirement Tuesday and ordered the state to strike the word “operation” from the statute and regulation outlining the modification process. The court previously said the surgery requirement violated the 14th Amendment’s due process and equal protection clauses.

Transgender people have been involved in disputes throughout the country over changing the sex markers on ...