Transgender people will be free to have birth certs altered

TRANSGENDER people are to be allowed have their birth certificates altered to recognise their true gender after the Government finally accepted the law breaches their human rights.

The climbdown ends an epic legal battle by Co Kildare-based former dentist Dr Lydia Foy who was registered male at birth but had gender reassignment surgery and has been seeking to be officially recognised as a woman for 17 years.

New laws will now have to be introduced to guarantee the entitlement of any citizen who changes gender to have a new birth cert.