A local judge has told an intersex woman he would not grant her petition for a gender marker change, a decision that is being called a blow to intersex rights.
Eyewitness News first told you last month that UCF law students helped file the petition for Juleigh Mayfield, an actress and model.
Read: Intersex woman fights to have gender changed on legal documents
With hope and humor, and a class of UCF students, Mayfield reviewed the seven-page ruling.
“It’s like Christmas; you’re just trying to get to the gift,” Mayfield said.
But it would not be the gift she asked for.
Judge Michael Kraynick denied her request for a gender marker change. He wrote that he recognized Mayfield “suffered through and over(came) some difficult and, at times, extreme challenges,” but “the law is the law and courts cannot carve out exceptions.”
Juleigh was born James Bradford Mayfield, but she’s not transgender. Later in life, she learned she was born with both male and female sex organs, include an ovary and extra breast tissue.
She transitioned from man to woman after doctors said she would die if not put on estrogen to deal with those health problems.
Mayfield and her supporters said they think a Florida court order will force Alabama to change the "M" on her birth certificate to "F" for female.
Read: What does being intersex mean? 5 things to know
She already asked Alabama to change it, but the state said no because she never got sex reassignment surgery, which she didn’t need.
“It’s kind of like, I finally got the ball at the football game and now I just have to focus on the end zone and run as fast as I can," Mayfield said.
The ruling was filed last Friday. Mayfield already has an appellate attorney who has 30 days to file an appeal with the 5th District Court of Appeals.
The process could take months, and even if the appellate court sides with her, it could still be years before Mayfield’s birth certificate is changed.
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