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Changing Your Name or Gender Marker Under the Gender Recognition Act
On June 24, 2021 the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) was signed into law, giving New Yorkers the ability to select M, F, or X gender markers on New York State-issued driver’s licenses, state IDs, and birth certificates.
The legislation streamlines the process to change the name or gender marker on a New York State-issued driver’s license, ID, or birth certificate, and requires numerous public and private entities to honor a person’s name change. The following information explains your rights under the new law and explains how to change the name or gender marker on a New York identity document.
You have the right to New York identity documents that match your gender identity.
Starting May 27, 2022, you have a right to select an M, F, or X gender marker on a New York State driver’s license or state ID. If you were born in New York City, you have had the ability to select M, F, or X on birth certificates since 2018, and if you were born elsewhere in New York, you have had this option since July 2020. Parents also have the right to change their own name on their children’s birth certificates and to identify themselves as “mother,” “father,” or “parent.”