NYC To Offer Third Gender Option On Birth Certificates

NBC News reports:

People born in New York City who don’t identify as male or female will soon be able to select a nonbinary gender category on their birth certificates. The New York City Council and Board of Health voted on Wednesday to include a third gender category, “X,” on birth certificates starting Jan. 1, 2019. Furthermore, the legislation will discontinue the need for a doctor’s note or health care provider’s affidavit to change one’s gender marker.

“Today is a historic day for New York in its role as a worldwide champion for inclusivity and equality,” City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who introduced the legislation in June, said in a statement sent to NBC News. “I especially want to thank the LGBTQ community for their advocacy and work on this issue to keep New York City in its rightful place as a leader in human rights.”

Third gender options are already in place in California, Ohio, Oregon, Washington state, and Washington DC.