New York City to Add Non-Binary Gender Marker to Birth Certificates

Gender nonconforming and non-binary people born in New York City will soon be able to have birth certificates that reflect that. The New York Daily News reports that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to sign the gender maker bill into law, which passed in the City Council by a vote of 41 in favor and six against.

Birth certificates will now offer a third gender option, “X,” for people who don’t identify with the binary female or male. The current intersex designation on birth certificates will also be replaced by “X.” New Yorkers can now make these changes on their own; they will no longer be required to obtain a letter from a doctor to confirm their gender.

“There are plenty of New Yorkers who don’t identify as either male or female,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson at a press conference. “Gender is a spectrum for many folks, and it’s not a fixed thing. So for New Yorkers who are transgender, who are gender non-conforming, who are non-binary, to have an option to better self-identify on such an important document, their birth certificate, unlocks all sorts of things for them.”

A handful of states have begun including gender non-binary options on birth certificates, drivers licenses, or both, including California, Oregon, Maine, and Washington, DC.