Increased number of Franklin County residents applying to change birth certificate

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- An increased number of people in Franklin County are trying to change their name or sex marker on their birth certificate.

TransOhio, a statewide trans-led organization, partnered with the Franklin County Probate Court to host their first in-person "birth certificate and name change clinic" on Dec. 14, when more than 250 applications were processed. The clinic was organized after the court began receiving a 60% increase in year-over-year birth certificate change requests following the November election.

The organization has long held virtual birth certificate change clinics on the second Wednesday of every month, but hadn't hosted an in-person event. Now, to "meet current community needs that are substantially different from what we usually offer," TransOhio is organizing several pop-up clinics.

"The Ohio Name Change Legal Clinic has helped trans Ohioans with name changes, gender designation corrections, and related legal needs for over a decade," the organization said on social media. "Now more than ever, it is essential to provide aid and urgent support to trans people across Ohio."

TransOhio is ramping up clinics after the Ohio Supreme Court announced in November it could not reach a decision on whether state law allowed the Clark County Probate court to grant a request from a trans woman named Hailey Adelaide to amend the sex marker on her birth certificate. The court said it's up to "the General Assembly to decide whether to create any additional opportunities for persons born in Ohio to amend their birth records."

Adelaide appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court after the Second District Court of Appeals upheld the Clark County Probate Court’s denial of her request. The probate court argued the initial recording of Adelaide's marker at birth was not made in error and "found there was nothing to be corrected."

A majority of states allow trans Americans to correct the sex marker on their birth certificate. However, in Ohio, Adelaide's case demonstrates that the process is contingent on how certain judges interpret state law. 

A procedure for trans Ohioans to correct their certificate was established by the Ohio Department of Health in 2021, following a federal 2020 ruling that said trans Ohioans have the right to request a change.

The ODH uses the same process for trans people to change their sex marker as it uses for other corrections to Ohio birth certificates. Applicants need to request a "court-ordered correction of a birth record" using a form issued by any one of Ohio's 88 probate courts, one in each county.

In Franklin County, applicants need to fill out this form and deliver it to the county's probate court at 373 S. High St. Hamilton County applicants need to complete this form and present a letter from a health professional verifying "transgender status."

TransOhio will be hosting the second in-person installment for those in the Cleveland area at the Cuyahoga County Court House from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 6. Virtual clinics, which are designed to aid about 25 attendees, are continuing on Jan. 8 followed by another on Feb. 12.