Please support this amendment!  Not all transgender people choose gender affirming surgery, and many cannot afford the expense due to lack of health insurance coverage.  Young people need to have their gender markers listed according to their gender identity and expression for their school records, drivers license, etc. to provide privacy and safety.  A letter from a professional provider is certainly enough proof that an individual is taking their identity seriously, that it is not a phase, and that it is important enough to be willing to go through the hoops to prove their identity.  The process is difficult enough that it doesn't need to be discussed in open court, which would only cause more distress for the individual and possibly make them a target since it is a public forum.  Please consider:  According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), best practices for a modernized policy means recognizing that gender transition is an individualized process that is not the same for all transgender people; and, a surgery requirement does not align with current understanding in transgender health care.  

Thank you!  Please support the recommended amendment!