Federal Lawsuit Settlement Involving OSDH Allows New Option To Amend Birth Certificates

Oklahoma now has a new process amending birth certificates. Kit Lorelied is now the first person in Oklahoma history to receive an amended birth certificate with a nonbinary sex designation.

Lorelied filed the lawsuit in August 2020, after they had requested a change in their birth certificate to reflect that they are nonbinary, meaning they don't identify exclusively as either male or female.

The settlement agrees that Oklahomans who do not identify as male or female can now request an amended birth certificate from the Office of Vital Records.

However, one must first obtain a court order from an Oklahoma court before the Office of Vital Records will issue an amended certificate.

Instead of M for male or F for female, those who identify as nonbinary will use the “X” designation.  

Governor Kevin Stitt released a statement Thursday denouncing the OSDH court settlement.

“...there is no such thing as non-binary sex and I wholeheartedly condemn the purported OSDH court settlement that was entered into by rogue activists who acted without receiving proper approval or oversight. I will be taking whatever action necessary to protect Oklahoma values and our way of life.”

"I know I am the first, but all that means to me is that I am opening the door for others to feel a little more at home in their skin,” Lorelied said in a statement. “All we want is the same respect and dignity that every citizen is supposed to have. As for Governor Stitt, I am not at all surprised. His administration has consistently been antagonistic to the LGBTQIA+ community, but he is on the wrong side of history."

After Gov. Stitt issued his statement, other state lawmakers have urged him to take Executive Action to undo this decision.