California became the first state to allow a non-binary gender marker on birth certificates Sunday when Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation backed by San Diego Sen. Toni Atkins.
California also allowed residents to be identified by a gender marker other than "F" or "M" on their driver license, becoming the second state in the nation to do so after Oregon. Washington, D.C., also voted to allow gender-neutral licenses.
Atkins, D-39th District, introduced the bill, SB 179, also known as the Gender Recognition Act, earlier this year. The legislation will take effect in 2018.
San Diego native a.t. furya is only the fifth person in the country, according to the Transgender Law Center, to obtain court documents that grant “non-binary” as their legally designated gender.
Non-binary means the person does not designate male or female as a gender.
"Agender for me or not having a gender has been spot on because then I don't feel like okay like, I'm this, but I’m not really. It fits. I don't know how else to explain it," said a.t. furya.
