ILLINOIS MAY SOON HAVE A PAP TO CHANGE THEIR BIRTH CERTIFICATES THAT WERE ISSUED IN ANOTHER STATE.

THAT'S IF GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER SIGNS THE BILL PASSED BY STATE LAWMAKERS.

THE BILL ALLOWS ILLINOIS RESIDENTS TO GET A JUDICIAL ORDER TO ALTER THEIR NAME AND ON THEIR BIRTH CERTIFICATE AND OTHER DOCUMENTATION ISSUED IN ANOTHER STATE.

HERE TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE IMPACT THIS COULD HAVE OUR MIKE SIRI, THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY FOR EQUALITY, ILLINOIS, BE READ NICK DIRECTOR OF LEGAL SERVICES AT THE TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE LAW PROJECT OF ILLINOIS.

THANKS TO YOU BOTH FOR JOINING MIKE SERIES STARTING WITH YOU.

PLEASE.

LAST YEAR IT WILL UPDATED THIS PROCESS, MAKING IT EASIER FOR TRANSGENDER PEOPLE WHO WERE BORN IN ILLINOIS THAT WOULD NO LONGER NEED THAT CERTIFICATION FROM A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL BEFORE CHANGING THEIR GENDER OR ON THAT DOCUMENTATION.

WHO DOES THIS NEW PIECE OF LEGISLATION IMPACT?

YEAH, FOR SO THANKS FOR HAVING THIS NEW PIECE OF LEGISLATION, HOUSE BILL, 5, 507.

>> IMPACTS ILLINOIS RESIDENTS WHO WERE BORN IN ANOTHER STATE OR ANOTHER COUNTRY.

AND UNLIKE ILLINOIS, THANKFULLY, OTHER STATES AND SOME COUNTRIES REQUIRE A COURT ORDER TO CORRECT GENDER MARKER ON A BIRTH CERTIFICATE.

SO THIS LEGISLATION IMPACT THOSE FOLKS WHO HAVE FOR, YOU KNOW, HAVE MOVED TO ILLINOIS MAYBE DECADES AGO, MAY BE THEIR NEW RESIDENTS OF THE STATE FLEEING THE THE CRUELTIES OF THEIR HOME STATES.

RIGHT NOW, THE INTEL TO LAWS WE'RE SEEING.

AND SO THIS WILL REALLY BE ANOTHER TOOL AND A WAY FOR ONLY TO MOVE FORWARD IN PROTECTING LGBTQ+, FOLKS WHO COME TO ILLINOIS HER AND TO BE CLEAR ON THE STEPS FOR THAT THEY JUST SORT OF HAVE TO BASICALLY SIGNED DOCUMENTATION ATTESTING TO TO THIS CHANGE THAT'S FOR FOR FOR FOR RESIDENTS WHO ARE BORN HERE UNDER THE LAW TALK ABOUT LAST YEAR UNDER THE LEGISLATION THE TRANSPORT OF JUSTICE LAW PROJECT INEQUALITY.

ADVOCATE FOR THIS SESSION.

THAT'S THE PET OF THE GOVERNOR'S DESK.

WHAT IT DOES IS IT'S A VERY SIMPLE.

IT SAYS THAT ONLY RESIDENT COMPETITION CAN ASK AN ILLINOIS JUDGE FOR DOCUMENTATION THAT THAT INDIVIDUAL CAN THEN TAKE OR SEND TO THE THEIR HOME STATE TO MEET THAT STANDARD.

A COURT ORDER.

SO IT'S JUST A VERY SIMPLE PROCESS IS JUST CLARIFIES THE LAW TO PROVIDE A PROCESS IN STATUTE THAT DOESN'T EXIST.

THAT ISN'T CLARIFIED NOW FOR WHAT RESIDENTS CAN DOING, WHAT JUDGES CAN DO SO PROVIDES CLARITY, JUDGES AND IT WILL BE A POWERFUL TOOL TO HELP THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE BORN HERE.

>> ALL NIC, WHY WAS THIS NECESSARY NEEDED?

>> I THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME AS WELL.

THIS IS BECAUSE IN THE YEARS I'VE PRACTICING PRACTICING ASSISTING PEOPLE WITH A GENDER MARKER CHANGES FOR ABOUT 13 YEARS.

AND WHAT I'VE REPEATEDLY IS JUDGES FEELING LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO SIGN AN ORDER TELLING ANOTHER WHAT TO DO.

AND SO THIS LAW IS SIMPLY A MEETING.

WHAT THE OTHER STATE IS ASKING FOR, WHICH IS COURT COMPETENT JURISDICTION TO WRITE ORDER SAYING THAT A PERSON'S GENDER HAS CHANGED A LOT.

WE DON'T BELIEVE IN THAT PROCESS.

WE DO KNOW THAT IT'S A BARRIER TO INDIVIDUALS BE ABLE TO CHANGE THEIR GENDER MARKERS ON BIRTH CERTIFICATES.

AND SO THIS LET JUDGES.

NO, YOU CAN'T DO THIS.

YOU CAN SIGNED AN ORDER BASED ON A FINDING OF FACT THAT SAYS THAT A PERSON'S JENNER HAS CHANGED EVERY STATE HAS DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS.

SO THE JUDGES WOULD LOOK WHAT YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT PETITIONERS ASKING FOR.

AND THEN SIMPLY WRITING THE ORDER TO MEET THE REQUIREMENT OF THAT STATE AND THEN IT'S UP TO THAT STATE ABOUT WHETHER THEY WANT TO ACCEPT IT OR NOT.

BUT ILLINOIS AND THE LONGER BE A BARRIER TO SOMEBODY.

I'M TAKING THAT NEXT STEP, MIKE, TO ANTICIPATE THAT, YOU KNOW, ONCE THEY GET TO SOME OF THOSE OTHER WITH THE COURT ORDER FROM ILLINOIS THAT, YOU LIKE SAID, IT IS UP TO THAT STATE, WHETHER OR NOT TO ACCEPT IT OR NOT.

>> TO ANTICIPATE THAT FOR SOME FOLKS, DEPENDING ON THE STATE THAT MIGHT STILL BE A CHALLENGE VERY WELL COULD AND I WANT TO PUT THIS BILL A NATIONAL CONTEXT BECAUSE WE TALK ABOUT ILLINOIS MOVING FORWARD.

BUT WE'VE SEEN MORE THAN 400 AND TITLE TO BQ.

PLUS BILLS INTRODUCED STATE CAPITOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THIS YEAR.

AND MANY OF THOSE INTRODUCED IN STATES SURROUNDING ILLINOIS.

SO THE FACT THAT THAT WE ARE PUTTING FORTH ANOTHER PIECE OF LEGISLATION TO SUPPORT FROM TRANS FOLKS IN ILLINOIS, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE CAN'T CONTROL OTHER STATES TOO.

BUT SO OBVIOUS POINT WE CAN REMOVE THE HERE IN ILLINOIS.

AND I KNOW THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE HAVE CONSISTENTLY DONE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS AND DECADES TO REMOVE BARRIERS WHEN IT COMES TO ACCESSING RIGHTS RIGHTS, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE, LGBTQ+ RIGHTS CENTER.

AND THIS IS JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR AND THE STATE OF ILLINOIS MOVING FORWARD IN THAT WAY.

SO I'M REALLY PROUD THAT THE LEGISLATURE TOOK THE STEP.

>> ILLINOIS IS THOUGH, SURROUNDED BY STATES THAT ARE PLACING MORE RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSGENDER PEOPLE.

IS THERE SORT OF A SENSE OF URGENCY FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

THERE'S I TALK PETITIONERS EVERY DAY WHO FEEL A REAL SENSE OF URGENCY BECAUSE THEY SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING AND STATES ACROSS THE WE SAW THE LAW GET HARSHER IN WISCONSIN.

WE SAW AND THAT WHERE IS A TRANS PERSON.

YOU CAN'T CHANGE YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE.

AND SO PEOPLE ARE AND WE SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OHIO.

YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL FOR THE LOSS TO GET STRICTER IN OHIO.

SO PEOPLE WHO ARE POOR AND A LOT OF THE STATES AND WE'RE SURROUNDED YOU KNOW, INDIANA, MISSOURI AND WISCONSIN, OHIO, SOUTH DAKOTA, THAT ALL OR WHERE THESE 4 ORDERS, PEOPLE ARE REALLY FEARFUL THAT LAWS LIKE EXIST IN TENNESSEE AND THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO GET THEIR CERTIFICATES CHANGED ALL, WHICH POSES A REAL SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE FOR PEOPLE.

IF THEY HAVE TO SHOW THEIR BIRTH CERTIFICATE AND IT EFFECTIVELY, ALICE THEM, WHICH WE KNOW OUTING SOMEBODY IS A THERE'S A HUGE RISK OF VIOLENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.

>> AND YOU JUST TOUCHED ON IT.

BUT I THAT WAS I WAS GOING TO ASK, WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT THAT SOMEONE THAT THEIR GENDER AND THEIR DOCUMENTS MATCH THEIR GENDER IDENTITY.

>> YES, EXACTLY.

YOU KNOW, IF IF YOU HAVE TO GO INTO DMV AND SHOW YOUR CERTIFICATE TO GET >> YOU DRIVER'S LICENSE AND LET'S SAY YOU'RE FROM A SMALLER AREA THAT'S GOING TO DISCLOSE YOUR GENDER IDENTITY TO POTENTIALLY YOUR WHOLE COMMUNITY BECAUSE ALL IT TAKES IS FOR SOMEBODY TO TELL SOMEBODY ELSE.

>> DEAL TRANSFORMED YOU KNOW, SITUATIONS HERE IN ILLINOIS GOING TO THE DMV AT TIMES.

SO WE KNOW THAT IT EXISTS HERE.

IT CERTAINLY EXISTS IN OTHER STATES AS WELL.

>> AND WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ILLINOIS IS NOT A BARRIER TO KEEPING PEOPLE'S A MORE SAFE.

>> MIKE, THIS BILL PASSED BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE WORK.

WHAT WORK HAPPENS FROM HERE TO ENSURE THAT IT GETS TO OF COURSE IT WILL GO TO THE GOVERNOR'S DESK BUT TO ENSURE HE SIGNS IT.

YEAH.

WELL.

>> YOU KNOW, PROCEDURALLY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE PUT IN THE REQUEST, WHICH ALWAYS DO.

YOU PUT IN THE REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR AND WE'RE VERY HOPEFUL THE GOVERNOR WILL SIGN THAT.

YOU KNOW, HE HAS PRIORITIZED MAKING ILLINOIS A TRUE BASTION OF SAFETY AND SUPPORT AND AFFIRMATION FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY THAT HE'S BEEN HIS RECORD EVEN BEFORE HE WAS BECAME GOVERNOR.

AND WE'VE APPRECIATE THAT.

THE PARTNERSHIP THAT ALL OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS HAVE THE GOVERNOR.

SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THE GOVERNOR WILL SIGN THE BILL WHEN IT DOES, YOU KNOW HIS DESK AND WE CAN THINK ABOUT WHAT COMES NEXT AS WELL.

WE HAVE OUR ORGANIZATIONS HAVE A LOT OF IDEAS ON THAT AS WELL BECAUSE THE WORK OF JUSTICE IS NEVER DONE AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

AND WE ALL KNOW THAT HIS COLONEL JENNIFER PRITZKER, ALSO THE WORLD'S FIRST TRANS BILLIONAIRE.

>> AND SO IT IS IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS LIKELY