New York’s City Council passed a bill Wednesday allowing parents to choose “X” on their newborn babies’ birth certificates.
The bill, passed in a 41-6 vote, also allows any adult living in the city to change his or her gender to “X” on their birth certificate.
“New Yorkers will no longer need a doctor’s note to change their gender on their birth certificates, and will no longer be treated as if their identity was a medical issue,” City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said, WOWT News reported Wednesday. “Today is a historic day for New York in its role as a worldwide champion for inclusivity and equality,” he added. (RELATED: Mother Wants To Record Baby’s Gender As ‘Unknown’)
Parents who want a gender neutral determination on their child’s birth certificate must submit a request on behalf of their child, a New York City health department spokesperson told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Only persons older than 18 can make their own change requests.
Prior to the bill, New Yorkers had to undergo gender confirmation surgery in order to change the designations on their birth certificates.
The bill is “exceptionally critical during this time of danger and uncertainty regarding health care and human rights for transgender Americans at the national level,” said transgender advocate Carrie Davis, chair of the advisory board that headed the birth certificate change. (RELATED: Transgender Persons In Puerto Rico Can Change Their Birth Certificates According To Identity)
Puerto Rico, California, Oregon, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., allow residents to change their birth certificates according to their gender identity. Doctors’ notes and gender confirmation surgery are not needed as prerequisites to change gender on official documentation in these states.
The bill will take effect Jan. 1 if Mayor Bill de Blasio signs the measure into laws.
De Blasio’s office did not return The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.