Female to male transgender man, Jordan Swan, had his marriage license revoked on the day of issue. According to Swan, who described the whole situation as “bulls—t,” he arrived at the Oakland County Clerk’s office to marry his fiancée. The couple paid for their marriage certificate, swore their oaths and signed on the dotted line and then went off to the chapel to get married.
Swan told Fox 2 News that he received a phone call shortly after leaving the County Clerk’s office telling him that the couple had to return to get a refund because the marriage license was being revoked. When the couple arrived back at the office they were told that the reason was that “Swan was not a man because he did not have a penis.”
Swan had presented a letter from his doctor showing he completed gender reassignment surgery in March. Under Michigan law, that affidavit is enough for Swan to have his gender switched on his birth certificate.
But under the leadership of Secretary of State-elect Ruth Johnson, Oakland county officials operate under the premise that the key to the whole matter is having a penis. Swan said, “Penis construction for transgender men costs thousands and thousands of dollars, and is something I simply can’t afford right now.”
Fox 2 legal analyst Charlie Langton explained, “If a doctor signs an affidavit that says you’ve had the sex reassignment, you can take that to the courthouse and you can get a new birth certificate. You don’t need a penis to become a man.”
Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson came under fire from LGBT activists earlier in the year after she did an about face on issues impacting the LGBT community. By vowing not to issue new licenses to transgender people who have completed gender reassignment surgery, the move was widely seen as a way for Johnson to challenge Rep. Paul Scott (R-Grand Blanc) who was gaining steam in the Secretary of State race.
Johnson, who won the Republican primary and then the November election stated, “No I do not support allowing people to change their gender on their license as a result of surgery or lifestyle.”
Swan responded, “I plan on getting the new birth certificate, and then will be back to the clerk’s office so that I can marry the love of my life.”
