New Mexicans Can Now Choose ‘Gender Neutral’ On Birth Certificate

New Mexicans can now choose 'gender-neutral' on birth certificates thanks to a new Bill implemented by the New Mexico State Senate. For New Mexicans who feel restricted by the gender norms of male and female, there is some good news- you have more options. Birth certificates issued by New Mexico now have transgender, nonbinary, and intersex as options people can choose.

New Mexico Senate Bill 20, also known as the Vital Records Modernization Act, was sponsored by Senator Jacob Candelaria and signed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham back in March. According to KOB News, those who identify as something other than male or female are able to use an "X" symbol to designate gender-neutral sex. The bill went into effect on Tuesday of this week. New Mexico is the eighth state to allow citizens to amend their gender on birth certificates, and the fourth to include a gender-neutral sex designation according to KRQE News. These changes are able to help many in the United States, including those who are born intersex, with both male and female chromosomal or sexual traits.