New York now allows residents to choose the gender-neutral option on the birth certificates of their children.
The new law went into effect on New Year’s day, hence, parents and residents of New York will be provided with the third gender option on birth certificates.
According to Independent UK, “to make the change to a non-binary gender, one must fill out a self-attestation form, which states a desire to change one’s gender to reflect their true gender identity.”
According to The Associated Press, “the new law, which passed in October, also allows parents to choose the option X for newborns”.
In the past, the city only allowed people who had undergone gender reassignment surgery to request birth certificate amendments.
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Although, the law was updated to require a doctor’s note or mental health professional, however, that requirement has also been removed under the new law.
According to The Hill, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio first expressed his support for the new law, when he said:
This new legislation will empower all New Yorkers, especially our transgender and gender non-binary residents, to have birth certificates that better reflect their identity, and it furthers the City’s commitment to defending the rights of our LGBT community.
New York City in the same class as Oregon, California and Washington, which are the states that offer the option of a third option on birth certificates.
Also, New Jersey will soon join other states as a similar legislation goes into effect on February 1.
