March 16, 2017

Judge Dismisses Indiana Transgender Man's Name Change Suit

file photo

file photo

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a transgender man's lawsuit challenging an Indiana law that prevents him from changing his first name to a male name matching his gender identity.

The man's parents brought him illegally to Indiana from Mexico at age 6. His lawsuit argued Indiana's law requiring anyone seeking a name change to provide citizenship proof is unconstitutional.

He said he's forced to "out" himself as transgender whenever he displays his driver's license because it lists his gender as male alongside his female birth name.

An Indianapolis judge dismissed his suit Monday, finding he hadn't established his legal standing to sue.

The Transgender Law Center filed the suit. Executive Director Kris Hayashi calls it a disappointing, procedural ruling that doesn't address the suit's questions "about the rights of transgender immigrants."

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