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Mexico’s Supreme Court orders Jalisco state to grant new birth certificate to transgender person

The new move is a step forward for LGBTQ rights in the socially conservative country

By Steve Brown

Words: Steve Brown

Mexico’s Supreme Court has ordered the state of Jalisco to grant a new birth certificate to a person who have undergone gender reassignment surgery.

The court ruled that the person – who was not identified – could go to the civil registry directly to request a new birth certificate, NBC News reported.

A birth certificate is needed in Mexico for a number of legal and bureaucratic procedures and the new move by the Supreme Court is a step forward for LGBTQ rights in the conservative country.

In a statement, the court said: “As the Supreme Court has argued in other cases, everyone has the right to define their own sexual and gender identity and it is the state’s responsibility to guarantee this decision, which is reflected in the different documents, mainly in the birth certificate.”

The country’s stance on LGBTQ rights has been a slow moving process but back in January, the court ruled that same-sex partners have a right to receive the social security benefits of their deceased party.