According to a report from NBC News, New York State will now allow all transgender minors to change their gender on their birth certificates.
After a lawsuit filed by a 14-year-old transgender boy, the Empire State will now let transgender children change their gender to reflect what they identify with rather than the gender that they were assigned at birth.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the decision earlier this week.
Her decision came when a 14-year-old transgender boy, known only as M.H.W., sued the state of New York over its policy banning minors from changing their birth certificate gender marker, although adults have been legally allowed to do so since 2014. His lawsuit was filed on his behalf by LGBTQ civil rights group, Lambda Legal.
Attorney General James also spoke about her decision, stating, “Effective immediately, transgender individuals born in New York will have the right to make this deeply personal decision without the government’s unwarranted denial or without having their privacy violated. We will not allow an outdated policy to stop us from providing every individual with equal dignity and respect.”