Victory: Maryland General Assembly Approves Birth Certificates Consistent with Gender Identity and Infertility Benefits Parity

The Maryland General Assembly passed today, by wide margins, two bills that will improve the lives of LGBTQ people and families throughout the state.

• SB 743 / HB 862 eliminates prohibitive barriers that currently prevent many transgender persons born in Maryland from obtaining an updated birth certificate that is consistent with their gender identity.  It passed the Senate by a vote of 31-16, and the House by a vote of 85-49.
• SB 416 / HB 838 creates parity in infertility health benefits by prohibiting conditions of health insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization and other infertility benefits that have the effect of preventing women in same-sex marriages from accessing those benefits.  It passed the Senate by a vote of 37-10, and the House by 93-45.

These bills were key priorities this year for FreeState Legal and Equality Maryland, and the staff of both organizations have worked tirelessly in support of them.  We thank the sponsors and floor sponsors of the bills (Sen. Susan Lee, Del. David Moon, Sen. Cheryl Kagan, Del. Terri Hill, Sen. Delores Kelley, Del. Dan Morhaim, Sen. Catherine Pugh, and Del. Shane Pendergrass) for their leadership on these important pieces of legislation.  We also thank our friends at Chase Brexton Health Care and the Human Rights Campaign for their advocacy in support of the birth certificate bill, which will particularly benefit low-income transgender Marylanders, many of whom are clients of FreeState Legal.

The bills now go to the desk of Gov. Larry Hogan for his signature.  We call upon the Governor to sign  both bills into law without delay.

If you have questions regarding how this legislation will affect your life as an LGBTQ Marylander, please contact FreeState Legal.