Legally Nonbinary: What It Means to Change Your Gender Marker From M or F to XOn May 4, Ontario, Can
Legally Nonbinary: What It Means to Change Your Gender Marker From M or F to X
On May 4, Ontario, Canada resident Joshua M. Ferguson was issued the province’s first nonbinary birth certificate. Instead of an “M” or an “F,” Ferguson’s birth certificate is now assigned the gender-neutral marker, “X.” The decision comes on the heels of similar groundbreaking laws in California,Oregon, and the District of Columbia, which began allowing residents to choose “X” as their gender on government IDs in 2017.
These new policies are undoubtedly cause for celebration. Nonbinary, intersex, and transgender residents will no longer have to make the compromise of selecting a gender designation that doesn’t align with their true identity. They’ll be able to experience the affirmation that arises from being acknowledged by their government and being able to be visible as their most authentic self.
But is there a downside to third gender markers?
If the transgender, intersex, and nonbinary communities have learned anything from the last several years, it’s that visibility and recognition often come with a price.
As we passed through the transgender tipping point, we entered into a period of increased bias-related violence, particularly targeting trans women of color. We entered into a period where governments are now debating the right for trans people to use the bathroomthataligns with their gender and where the actual U.S. president has taken unprecedented measures to ban transgender people from serving in the military.
Things have gotten better, yes. But, they have also gotten very, very bad. Could the very visibility that will help affirm transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people in our identities also expose us to more harassment, discrimination, and harm?
