Wyoming has become the ninth US state to do this. The policy change, first reported by Transitics, came weeks after it had already taken effect. It requires residents to present an amended birth certificate to update their gender marker. However, because the state has already blocked those amendments, the rule creates a de facto ban on accurate identification for many transgender people.
The move is part of a broader wave of restrictions across the US, with several Republican-led states tightening rules around identity documents in recent months. In Wyoming, the shift follows earlier legal and administrative changes, including the rollback of a long-standing policy in November 2025 that had allowed gender marker updates on birth certificates through court orders.
With no media coverage or public comment during the rule-making process, the policy was implemented largely unnoticed. Advocates say that without accurate IDs, transgender residents may face barriers in voting, travel, employment, and housing, while also risking being outed in everyday interactions.
