Costa Rican court issues decision on gender identity

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – Costa Rica's supreme electoral court has approved a resolution that will allow people to change the name they are registered with to go with their gender identity.

The court is the country's top authority for the civil register, and its decision also means that the gender a person is registered with at birth will no longer appear on identity documents. The change seeks to avoid discrimination or stigmatizing those who change their gender identity.

The court said Monday that the name change will be accomplished through a simple and free procedure.

The move follows an opinion issued by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that Costa Rica should do whatever necessary to allow gay marriage. Legislative changes or decisions by constitutional courts will be necessary to make those changes.