Judge Michael Moses ordered the state to follow the 2017 state Department of Public Health and Human Services rule allowing transgender people to change the gender on their birth certificate by filling out paperwork, halting the 2021 law that rolled back the ability to make those amendments.
“We’re thankful the court saw the state’s discriminatory new rule for what it was: a desperate effort to circumvent the judicial process and target transgender Montanans. Forcing anyone to carry documents that contradict their identity is unjust and unconstitutional, and such a rule marks transgender people for further mistreatment and discrimination. We’ll continue to fight this baseless law until no transgender person is denied this fundamental right,” the statement said.
The injunction from the judge has not prevented the state from attempting to enforce restrictions on changing birth certificates, but a final ruling from the judge in the case providing more permanent relief is still to come.