By Kari Milchman

Sex, schmex. Penis, schmenis. Vagina, schma … well, you get the idea. New York authorities are considering the irrelevancy of these organs as they review proposals to allow transgender individuals to change the sex on their birth certificates regardless of whether or not they’ve undergone sex reassignment surgery. Since 1971, New York City has reissued birth certificates to reflect sex change operations. Revised birth certificates exclude any reference to gender but don’t acknowledge the current gender. According to the new proposal, those born in the city would be able to change the sex on their identification documents legally if they have spent two or more years living as the opposite gender. While surgery would not be required to alter birth certificates, there must be evidence that other immutable steps have been taken to alter one’s gender-identity—drag doesn’t count, but hormone therapy does.