Ohio Birth Certificate Questionnaire

Cleveland Summer Series As you may know, Ohio is one of only four states, plus Puerto Rico, that completely refuses to change the gender marker on birth certificates for transgender individuals. We at the ACLU of Ohio and Lambda Legal have been working closely with our partners at the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), TransOhio, Equality Ohio, Margie’s Hope, and Equitas Health to change this discriminatory policy.

The most important thing we need right now is stories from people who have been directly harmed by this policy. Any information you choose to share with us will remain confidential between ACLU and Lambda Legal’s legal staff.

The law is slow to catch up with society’s needs. Although we believe that Ohio’s birth certificate policy is discriminatory, current law simply fails to provide recourse for the emotional and mental anguish this policy causes. That’s why we must gather reports of very precise instances in which having to show your incorrect birth certificate compromised your safety or caused you a specific loss (e.g., caused you to be rejected for employment) or harm (e.g., cost you money or significant inconvenience).

Please answer the following questions in as much detail as possible. We will not share any of your information without your consent.

This is not an offer of legal assistance, just a request for information. We will contact you only if we need to follow up with you.

Although we keep our files confidential, submitting cases via email is not a secure means of transmission. If you do not wish to submit your form via email, you may fill out the form, print it and mail it to one of the addresses below:

ACLU of Ohio

c/o Legal Department

4506 Chester Ave.

Cleveland, OH 44103

Lambda Legal

Legal Help Desk

105 W. Adams St., Suite 2600

Chicago, IL 60603

1. Contact Information

First Name *

Last Name *

Gender pronouns

Race

Street Address *

Address Line 2

City *

State *

Zip *

Daytime Phone *

Evening Phone

Email *

2. When/Where were you born?

Date of birth

Month

Day

Year

Ohio county of birth

3. Have you attempted to change the gender on your birth certificate with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH)?

Yes/No

Yes

If yes, when?

Month

Day

Year

If yes, what was the result?

If possible, provide details and documentation of your interactions with ODH. If you have a scan or other file to attach, please email it to contact@acluohio.org.

4. How does Ohio’s policy harm you?

Have any of the following happened to you because your birth certificate does not show your true gender? If you answer “yes” to any of these questions please provide the details of the situation you encountered.

a. Have you been outed as transgender at school, at a job, or in another context because of your birth certificate? If so, please explain:

c. Have you been denied a job, a position, or scholarship because of your birth certificate? If so, please explain.

d. Have you been denied a marriage license or other necessary document because of your birth certificate? If so, please explain.

e. Have you been denied entry to a building or event because of your birth certificate? If so, please explain.

f. Can you think of other instances where you have been treated unfairly and suffered injury because your birth certificate did not show your true gender?

Your answers to these questions will help us better understand how we can challenge Ohio’s harmful policy. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Without you, we could not work towards this needed change. The information you have shared with us will remain confidential between ACLU and Lambda Legal’s legal staff. This is not an offer of legal assistance, just a request for information. We will contact you only if we need to follow up with you.

Disclaimer and Notice

This Survey does not give legal advice, and you should not rely on it as legal advice. You should not rely on the information you get from this site and should speak with a lawyer to get advice on your specific situation. We also cannot promise that the information on this site is complete, accurate, or up-to-date.

This Survey is not a solicitation or an offer by the American Civil Liberties Union and its affiliates to represent you. We cannot promise you that the information you provide will lead to any specific action on the American Civil Liberties Union or its affiliates part. Once you complete the survey, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio may not do anything—including contact you—about your situation.

If you fill out this Survey, you agree that the American Civil Liberties Union, the national ACLU or its affiliates, if identified as part of the Survey, or one of its coalition partners may use the information you give us, as long as we don’t include your name, address, email or phone number, for one or more of the following purposes: (1) legislative testimony, (2) litigation; (3) contacting a city, state or federal agency; or (4) telling your story to the public, including the media. If the American Civil Liberties Union, the national ACLU or its affiliates, or one of its coalition partners wants to identify you, we will contact you prior to doing so.

We will keep your name, address, telephone number and email confidential unless you give us permission to use it or unless we are ordered to turn it over by a court (although we will attempt to prevent any disclosure).

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