Washington State Mulling Addition of ‘Gender X’ Next to Male and Female on Birth Certificates

The state of Washington is mulling the idea of adding a third choice for a baby’s gender on state birth certificates to placate transgender activists, according to reports.

Officials at the state’s Department of Health are considering adding an “X” alongside the male and female choices on birth certificates in case parents don’t want to be forced to “choose” a gender for infants born in the state, according to The Spokesman-Review.

The department said it is considering the option for people who are “intersex, agender, amalgagender, androgynous, bigender, demigender, female-to-male, genderfluid, genderqueer, male-to-female, neutrois, nonbinary, pangender, third sex, transgender, transsexual, Two Spirit, and unspecified.”

How the state imagines a newborn is able to make such a decision was not explained, but the move is a boon for citizens who retroactively decide to change their gender, whether transgender, or “non binary.”

The Evergreen State already has a process to allow adults to change their birth certificates to add designations other than male or female. The process, though, requires a medical provider testifying that the change was made under “appropriate clinical treatment” or a court order.

But the change would allow adults to simply request the change without providing medical testimony. Minors, though, would continue to be required to have medical testimony for the change to be made.

Gay activist groups praised the move saying it is ideal for normalizing claims by the LGBT community that there are more than two genders.

Meghan King, a Microsoft employee and self-proclaimed member of the “non-binary community” praised the move saying, “To me, laws and rules like this attempt to reflect the best of society.”

Jac Archer, the vice chair of the Spokane County Democrats and who labels himself “genderqueer,” agreed.

“It would be great to have my legal documents reflect what I know to be true about myself,” he said.

Despite their general approval of the proposal, gay advocates still complained that requiring minors to provide a doctor’s assessment for the change presents an “undue burden” on young people hoping to be recognized as “non binary.”

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.