“Gender X” legislation also eliminates unnecessary roadblocks to changing gender identification on state documents
(BOSTON—7/27/23) Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) voted alongside her colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate on Thursday to unanimously pass An Act relative to gender identity on Massachusetts identification., The bill would allow, for the first time in Massachusetts history, an individual to be identified with a non-binary “X” sex designation on their birth certificate, and enshrine into law the current practice of allowing an individual to select a non-binary “X” gender designation on their driver’s license. This is the fourth consecutive session during which the Senate has adopted similar legislation.
“In Massachusetts, we pride ourselves on inclusivity and ensuring basic human rights,” said Senator Friedman, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. “Should this legislation become law, we will remove facets of our state government that prevent our residents from living with their true gender identity . In the face of nationwide attacks on our LGBTQIA+ friends, we continue to be a beacon of progress and ensure that Massachusetts is a place that is safe, welcoming, and open to all.”
Under current law, it is impossible to have a sex designation of “X” listed on a birth certificate in Massachusetts, and in order to change one’s sex designation, an applicant must provide a notarized statement from a physician stating that the individual has completed medical intervention.
The legislation passed today would allow an individual to be identified with an “X” sex designation on their birth certificate.… Read more.