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No appeal, no comment and no changes allowed: Birth certificate fix in limbo for Montana – Daily Montanan

['Darrell Ehrlick', 'More From Author', '- May']

Date: 2022-05-02 00:00:00

Even though a judge in Yellowstone County has issued a temporary injunction, stopping a law passed by the 2021 Legislature from taking effect, the Daily Montanan has confirmed that individuals wanting to change a sex designation on a birth certificate still cannot.

Nearly two weeks ago, Yellowstone County District Judge Michael G. Moses ruled that the law change that prohibited individuals from changing the sex designation of male or female on a birth certificate without first providing proof of a surgical procedure and court order likely violated the state’s constitution. In a ruling, he issued a temporary injunction, which is not a final decision, but allowed the law to revert to the standard before the new law was passed.

Prior to the 2021 law, Montana had a one-page form to change the status of a birth certificate.

Ashley Nerbovig, a reporter for the Montana Television Network, first reported a transgender man had attempted to change his birth certificate but was denied by the state. On Monday morning, the Daily Montanan confirmed with an employee that even though the law has been enjoined and no appeal had been filed, she had been ordered by the state Department of Public Health and Human Services not to implement the previous process. The employee said that she was not a lawyer and had no further direction, and was awaiting guidance from the administration. She said she was keeping contact information of people who had called about a change.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, which has successfully argued the case, said it had no comment on the current status.

The Daily Montanan asked the Montana Attorney General’s Office for clarification or if it had plans to appeal the injunction on Monday.

“We’re not participating in your blog,” said spokesperson Emilee Cantrell.

The Department of Public Health and Human Services acknowledged that it had also received questions from the Daily Montanan on Monday, including whether it planned to appeal the ruling, or the process it was planning for changing the designation on a birth certificate, but by the end of the day, it had not provided answers or clarification.

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