Starting Jan. 1 in 2019, New York City is adding a third option on birth certificates. Mayor Bill De Blasio signed the provision into law on Oct. 10. Newborns can now be identified as one of the following: male, female, or x.

Importantly, this breaks from the familiar gender binary.

Placing an “x” gives non-binary individuals an opportunity to express their real identity, opposed to being constrained to an assigned gender at birth. Melissa Welshans, a professor in English and textual studies at Syracuse University, said “x” challenges the gender binary spectrum in regard to government identification.

“It’s beneficial because it provides government proof for a non-binary gender, which can be important especially for U.S. passports, which is still really (a) rigorous sex-led system,” she said.

Welshans cited situations such as the previous bathroom ban in North Carolina, in which authorities referred to a birth certificate and adhered to the gender presented on a document. By adding the x, authorities will now have to acknowledge the existence of a third gender identity.

Additionally, children are given a clean slate without any assumptions of their identity. While stereotypes are changing, personality traits and careers are still assumed because of a person’s gender.

“X” shatters this.

Some have argued that raising a child non-binary will only confuse them in the future. But that’s not the case – Susan Knoppow, CEO of Wow Writing Workshop, and a mother of a non-binary child, said in a Detroit Free Press column that her experiences show that a change in gender does not equal confusion.

This change is also reflective of the changing community in New York City. The city is known for its vibrantly queer community, and this new decision could continue to promote an inclusive and positive culture there.

But that doesn’t mean this is a perfect decision. One drawback is that it exposes non-binary communities to having to reveal their identities in order to be recognized. Non-binary children of the coming decades may still likely have to grow up in a problematic society that requires the reporting and labeling of an identity.

“It further underscores the idea that we have to tell the government, at first, if we announce our gender identity for reasons that may not be necessary,” Welshans said.

The decision essentially “others” non-binary communities and still is the “alternative” option to male/female.

While this is a victory for many people, New Yorkers should move forward with caution and a clear mission in mind. There is still much left to be done before transgender communities are no longer the “other.” There is still a long way to go before transgender communities can feel completely safe and acknowledged in today’s community.

Lianza Reyes is a junior broadcast and digital journalism major. She can be reached at lireyes@syr.edu.

Published on October 15, 2018 at 9:12 pm