California Becomes First State to Allow Gender-Neutral Birth Certificates

October 20, 2017 in News by RBN Staff

 

Source: MRCtv | By Ashley Rae Goldenberg

California is now the first state in the country to grant gender-neutral birth certificates for people who feel like they are neither men nor women.

The Sacramento Bee reports on Sunday, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law the ”Gender Recognition Act” that allows for gender-neutral options on driver’s licenses and also on birth certificates. Oregon and Washington D.C. previously enacted gender-neutral driver license options, but California is the first state to allow the gender-neutral option on birth certificates.

The new birth certificates and licenses allow people who feel like they are neither men nor women—people who think they are “non-binary” or “genderqueer” or any other nonconforming gender—to choose “non-binary” as an option on their official documentation.

The Los Angeles Times reports the new driver’s licenses start to be issued in 2019.