NYC asks new parents if 'mother giving birth' is male or female

A peculiar part of paperwork that's presented to new parents in New York City is raising eyebrows around the Big Apple. The new form, according to recent reports, asks parents to specify if a newborn's mother is male or female.

The New York Post first reported on Friday that an updated Department of Health (DOH) form handed to parents requesting a birth certificate removes the risk of misgendering new mommies.

The form [PDF], provided by the New York City DOH's Bureau of Vital Statistics, requires parents to answer if the "woman giving birth" is male or female, along with more run of the mill questions concerning legal names and Social Security Numbers.

the form asks in the section labeled

Susan Sommer, an attorney who practices on behalf of an advocacy group that represents lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and trans persons, told the Post that the updated paperwork eliminates any issues that may arise if the parent giving birth is in any stage of a gender transition.

Sommer, of Lambda Legal, said to the newspaper.

According to the Lambda Legal website, thousands of children across the United States have parents who are transgender or, rather, identify with a gender that differs from the sex assigned at birth.

Sommer told the Post.

" Colage, an organization that aims to assist the children of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans parents, said in a 2010 document.

Thomas Beatie, a trans man who gave birth to a daughter in 2008, told 20/20 that year.

At the time, Beatie and others in similar standing were encountering legal issues stemming from how their parental role is defined in official paperwork, especially when a state becomes involved in officiating the custody of a child.

Suzanne Goldberg of the Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic at Columbia University in New York City said at the time.

Chomsky: We Are All – Fill in the Blank.

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