June 3, two vital bills will go into effect in Maryland, further expanding the rights and protections of its LGBT community, writes Maureen McCarty on the HRC Blog. Gov. Larry Hogan has said that he will neither sign nor veto these bills, meaning that they become law through a “pocket pass.”
The first, SB 743/HB 862, removes roadblocks for transgender people trying to update their birth certificates. This measure will ensure that transgender people born in Maryland are able to change their birth certificates to reflect their correct name and gender without unnecessarily expensive and invasive obstacles.
HRC Senior Legislative Counsel Alison Gill testified in support of SB 743 and HB 862 in the Maryland House and Senate committee hearings.
Nationally, only 1 in 5 transgender people (21 percent) have been able to update all their identification documents and records, including birth certificates, to reflect their appropriate name and gender.
The second bill (SB 416/HB 838) requires health insurers to offer fertility treatments to same-sex married couples. Maryland law currently requires health insurers to offer fertility treatments to opposite-sex married couples, so this new law will create equality for same-sex couples.
