Transgender Illinois residents may soon have a path to change birth certificates that were issued in other states. 

That’s if Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs a bill recently passed by state lawmakers.  

The bill allows Illinois residents to get a judicial order to alter the name and sex on birth certificates and other documentation issued in another state. 

Currently in Illinois, the process no longer requires certification from a health professional, making it easier to request this change.

Mike Ziri, director of public policy for Equality Illinois, said supporters hope the bill will clear up some confusion over who has the authority to provide these court orders.

“It just clarifies the law to provide a process in statute that doesn’t exist, that isn’t clarified now for what residents can do and what judges can do,” Ziri said. “So it provides clarity to judges, and it will be a powerful tool to help those folks who weren’t born here.”

Although this doesn’t ensure the out-of-state judge will move forward with the process, advocates say it is another way for Illinois to support transgender people while other states pass more restrictive laws affecting the LGBTQ+ community.

Avi Rudnick, director of legal services at the Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois, said ensuring documents match a person’s gender identity is a matter of safety.

“If they have to show their birth certificate and it effectively outs them, which we know outing somebody, there’s a huge risk of violence associated with that,” Rudnick said. “All it takes is for somebody to tell somebody else. We deal with transphobic situations here in Illinois going to the DMV at times. It certainly exists in other states as well and we just want to make sure that Illinois is not a barrier to keeping people more safe.”