New York City — The city wants to make it easier for transgender New Yorkers to switch the sex listed on their birth certificates, an important issue to the transgender community in an era when official identity documents have become more essential in everyday life. Under current city rules, only people who can show proof of a surgery qualify for getting a revised birth certificate. Even then, the only change made is the elimination of any reference to gender on the document. The new plan, unveiled late last month, would let birth records reflect the new gender for the first time. It would also allow changes for people who hadn't had genital surgery, but could show substantial proof that they have undertaken other steps to irrevocably alter their gender-identity - like undergoing hormone therapy. The policy change is one that advocates for New York's sizable transgender community have requested for years. Citation (2006).Plan allows sex switch in birth records. Buffalo News, http://www.mtra.org.au/press/06/1007.html