Advocates in the transgender community are pushing New York City lawmakers to pass a bill that would make it easier for someone to change the sex on their birth certificates.

On Monday, the City Council's Health Committee was scheduled to hear a proposal that would eliminate the requirement that people need to have gender-reassignment surgery before they can change their birth records. Instead, advocates say that affirmation from a health professional should suffice in order for a person to change their gender on their certificates, reports the Assoicated Press.

Naz Seenauth, a 20-year-old transgender man from New York City, says he finds it deeply frustrating that he cannot change the sex on his birth certificate, which has caused him to deal with "uncomfortable moments."

"It was kind of weird, because New York City is such a liberal place." he told Reuters. His driver's license states that he is male, but his birth certificate says he was born female.

Although the state of New York has removed surgery requirements to make the change, New York City issues its own birth certificates.

Last year Seenauth made an unsuccessful attempt to get his birth certificate reissued. Because of the law, he says that he second guesses himself before filling out job applications in fear that he will have to explain his gender identity due to the discrepancy in his records.

City Councilman Corey Johnson, who is leading the effort to change the 1971 law, says the surgery requirements are antiquated.

"I look at this as a matter of human rights," he told Reuters. "Transgender people deserve to have vital documents, especially birth certificates, that accurately reflect their identity." He expects the council to pass his bill before the year is out.

He is currently working with New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett, who has proposed amending the city's health code to correspond with Johnson's bill. Under the new proposals, a transgender person would only need to get confirmation from a doctor or a licensed health worker in order to submit an affidavit assuring that they are indeed the gender they choose to identify.

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