Montana health officials have adopted a new rule that individuals cannot change their biological sex on a birth certificate even if they undergo sexual reassignment surgery.
The new rule comes after a judge temporarily struck down a similar law in April, which the state restored in May, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The initial law had a provision that allowed individuals to change their sex on a birth certificate following a sex reassignment procedure. That law was passed by the Montana legislature and signed by Gov. Greg Gianfore (R) in 2021
On Friday, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) changed that provision of the law, stating that individuals cannot change their sex on a birth certificate unless under a rare circumstance – such as a data entry error.
An individual’s sex on a birth certificate can only be listed as male or female, according to the law.
