California is now the first state in America to recognize a third gender on driver's licenses and birth certificates. On Sunday, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the legislation that will allow residents to identify their gender as female, male, or nonbinary. Senate Bill 179 — the Gender Recognition Act — states that "the binary gender designations of female and male fail to adequately represent the diversity of human experience." Nonbinary is defined by GLAAD as a term used by people whose gender identities fall outside traditional categories of male or female. The legislation will provide Californians with a third gender option, while making it easier for transgender individuals to change their gender identification on existing documents. According to a press release, the bill gets rid of the previous requirement that an applicant had to submit a physician's letter attesting they had undergone clinical treatment for gender transition. With the new bill, people can simply submit a gender change request application directly to the state registrar. Starting Sept. 1, 2018, California residents can request legal gender changes without having undergone treatment, and on Jan. 1, 2019 the nonbinary gender option will be available to those applying for driver’s licenses or renewals. State Senator Toni Atkins, who authored the bill, told The Hill, "The Gender Recognition Act will eliminate unnecessary stress and anxiety for many Californians, and it exemplifies the leadership role that our state continues to take in LGBTQ civil rights." Though California is the first state to allow a nonbinary gender option on birth certificates, both Oregon and Washington, D.C., have given residents the option to select a third gender option on driver's licenses. Staring in June 2017 Washington, D.C. state identifications offered an "X" option in addition to female and male to signify their gender was not specified, and Oregon joined them in July 2017. New York is also currently attempting to pass a similar bill. TopicsActivismGenderSocial Good
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