New York is prepared to take a step in the right direction with plans to introduce a new gender category.
On Thursday, City Council speaker Corey Johnson plans to introduce a proposal a new gender category on birth certificates. Indicated with an “X,” the option will be available for adults who want to replace their identity on their birth certificates and parents who want to leave their child’s sex undetermined, the Huffington Post reports.
The monumental news arrives during Pride Month, a celebration of “how far we’ve come in the fight for equality, and re-affirm our commitment to protecting all New Yorkers from discrimination,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said. It’s also a step toward acceptance and ending violence against the LGBTQ community.
“When non-binary people are forced to identify as either man or woman, it is dehumanizing and harmful towards them,” said Eliel Cruz, communications director for LGBTQ rights organization the Anti-Violence Project. “Gender is expansive and the X marker on the birth certificate recognizes that.”
New York City joins a growing list of cities to allow gender nonconforming and non-binary persons this choice. Oregon, Washington state, and California also offer a third gender option on birth certificates, and Washington, D.C., gives a third option on driver’s licenses.