AN ACT
to recognize the reality of
transgender identity on
government documents
i. The title of this Act shall be, the "Bessell-NeverAgain Transgender Rights Act of 2017." It may be cited as the "Bessell-NeverAgain Act," the "Transgender Rights Act," or as "TRA."
ii. For the purposes of this Act, the "gender identity" of an individual shall refer to their actual gender, such as they themselves determine it to be.
iii. For the purposes of this Act, the "official gender" of an individual shall refer to their gender as noted on documents issued by the Southern Region or by the States thereof.
Section 2 (Protections)i. Citizens, legal residents, and resident aliens of this Region shall have right to request their official gender be corrected to match their gender identity.
ii. The correction of an individual's official gender shall apply to all documents and forms of identification issued by the Region of the South and by the States thereof.
(a). Whenever an individual requests the correction of their official gender, their birth certificate shall be amended to list both their gender at birth and their current gender identity.
(b). The correction shall not apply to official records, other than birth certificates, made prior to the individual's request.
iii. There shall be no restriction on the number of times an individual may request the correction of their gender identity, but there will be a 6-month waiting period in between when a person may correct their identity.
iv. The correction shall take effect one (1) month following the entrance of the request.
v. No adult may request the correction of their official gender who is currently being charged with a misdemeanor or felony offense, nor who is currently incarcerated for conviction of the same. If incarcerated, they will go to whichever gender is currently their official gender.
vi. Any persons over 18, imprisoned for the above offences, shall be allowed to correct their legal gender, but shall be required to seek approval from a panel consisting of prison staff, medical professionals, and members of the parole board.
vii. Minors may still transition to their correct gender, if passing requirements set in Section 4.
Section 3 (Official Gender)i. Persons may choose to have their official gender noted as any of the following designations:
(a). Female (F)
(b). Male (M)
(c). Neutral (N)
(d). Other (O)
(e). Intersex (I)
Section 4 (Age and Parental/Guardian Consent)i. At or over age 18, any person may request a change to their gender identity.
ii. For individuals under the age of 18, who desire a identity change, without one or both legal guardians approval, a guardian ad litem will be assigned to help come to a consensus opinion between them.
Section 5 (Limits and Requirements to Identity Change)i. You must live within the Southern jurisdiction (state) where the name change petition will be filed. To file within the South, you must have lived in the region for at least six months prior to filing.
ii. Identities under the 'Other' category cannot be or be for any/all of the following:
(a). To avoid debts and obligations.
(b). To defraud any other person.
(c). To capitalize on the name/identity of a famous person.
(d). To an identity that would be intentionally confusing.
(e). To a number or punctuation mark.
(f). To a racial slur.
(g). To an identity that includes threatening or obscene words, or words likely to incite violence.
sponsor: NeverAgain
*here's to hoping I did this right. Though I'm sure I'll find out rather quickly whether that is the case or not
