California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed bill SB 179, the Gender Recognition Act, that will allow citizens who do not identify as a male or female to have a non-gendered drivers license — and it is about damn time!
Sex is based on science. You are a part of the male sex or the female sex; but gender is what you as a person perceive yourself to be and there is a spectrum of genders.
California was the first state to allow non-binary gender birth certificates and has now passed SB 179.
It is another giant step toward the ability of a non-gendered person’s paperwork being able to match their preferred gender identity.
For years, children have been marked “male” or “female” based on their genitals; but being a teen in 2017, it is a known fact that genitals don’t tell you jack-shit about a person’s gender.
We have transgender teens who are breaking down so many barriers about sex, gender and sexuality everyday by just simply being themselves.
Not only are there people who chose not to identify with one specific gender, we have people who are “gender fluid,” weaving in and out of the gender norms as they please.
There are even rare cases of newborns being born with two different genitals and the parents are then told to choose a single gender for the baby who will then undergo a gender correction surgery.
This situation can become a very traumatizing experience for the child once they find out, not having a choice on the body they’ve grown up in and maybe even feeling even more out of place in their body than before.
Identifying as non-binary is a daily challenge.
You not only come in contact with ignorant people who cannot fathom the idea of not conforming to society’s gender norms — you also have the people who feel uncomfortable with you because they themselves don’t understand their own sexuality or sexual orientation.
The passing of these laws will hopefully create a more accepting and understanding society.
If not, it will definitely make tasks like being pulled over or dealing with anything legal, regular things citizens deal with, much simpler for people who are non-binary.
This is a great moment of visibility for our LGBTQ+ family.
Keep pushing forward and keep being your beautiful self. Do not let any close-minded cisgender stop you.
