WASHINGTON — The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced that it will be expediting sex change designations on birth certificates of Washingtonians who request it.
Typically, this type of change could have a 10-month wait period, according to Governor Bob Ferguson.
This appears to be in direct response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, where the official policy of the federal government is that there are only two sexes.
Trump’s order directs federal agencies to implement changes that “require that government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, accurately reflect the holder’s sex.”
The White House said it will not invalidate old passports with an “X” marker for an unspecified gender, but it will no longer issue new or renewed ones. Instead, U.S. passports will need to “match the customer’s biological sex at birth.”
Washington State said it will begin to expedite processing requests for changes to birth certificates in three business days. Customers should allow for up to two weeks for delivery.
People who were born in Washington state can change the sex designation on their birth certificate by submitting a completed request form to the Washington State Department of Health Center for Health Statistics.
A Washington State birth certificate has three options for sex designation: M, F, and X.
You can request a change sex designation here.
The DOH says that:
- If you submitted an application with a processing fee, the date your check or money order is cashed is the date we received your request. This can help you estimate how much time is left for processing your request.
- We are committed to processing these requests in a timely manner. The time it takes to process and mail your request may fluctuate due to staffing availability and mail delivery timelines.
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