New York City Just Passed a Gender-Neutral Birth Certificate Law

profeminist:

[In October]New York became the first city in the nation to pass a law offering gender-neutral birth certificates. The new policy will go into effect on January 1, 2019, and calls for the creation of a third gender marker — X — in addition to the current options of M and F.

The new law also mandates that people be allowed to choose their gender marker when applying for amended birth certificates, replacing a previous requirement that applicants provide letters from medical and mental health practitioners confirming their gender identity.

“New Yorkers should be free to tell their government who they are, not the other way around,” New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said in a press release. “This new legislation will empower all New Yorkers — especially our transgender and gender nonbinary residents — to have birth certificates that better reflect their identity, and it furthers the City’s commitment to defending the rights of our LGBTQ community.”

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New York City Just Passed a Gender-Neutral Birth Certificate Law