The state of New York has been applauded for passing new legislation which allows for a third gender option on birth certificates and licenses.
The Gender Recognition Act was signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, and it gives New Yorkers the ability to chose the term "parent" instead of "father" or "mother" on birth certificates, as well as banning discrimination on the grounds of a person's gender identity, per Independent.
The news outlet reports that it is now one of two dozen laws that recognize non-binary and transgender individuals in America.
Cuomo is pictured below signing the historic act.
New York Assemblymember Danny O'Donnell said that the introduction of the Gender Recognition Act was "a milestone in our fight to secure LGBTQ rights", and said it "will make life safer for trans individuals, reduce stigma, and affirm trans individuals' identities."
"Our work for equal rights is far from over, but we have proven that love is love, that trans lives matter, and that we are ready for the fights ahead," O'Donnell wrote.
The introduction of the Gender Recognition Act was also praised by the anti-poverty non-profit, Legal Services NYC, which said that the recognition of a third gender was making history for non-binary people.
The non-profit tweeted after it was signed by Cuomo: "This is a huge step towards affirming the identities of non-binary and intersex people, who will no longer be forced to misgender themselves on official documents."
Legal Services NYC praised the work of LGBTQ+ campaigners and legislators for the work they put into the act, praising "the countless intersex and non-binary New Yorkers who made this fight possible!"
Andrew Joyce, the chairman of the legislature in Albany County, said that the act would help to create a "more inclusive" New York.
He wrote: "As we continuously work to building a more inclusive New York, I applaud the Governor for signing The Gender Recognition Act and giving New Yorkers once again the respect and rights they deserve."
The Albany legislator said that "LGBTGI+ rights are human rights, and transgender and non-conforming New Yorkers deserve an ID to reflect who they are."
The Williams Institute, a think tank at the University of California, Los Angeles, reports that almost half a million gender nonconforming people do not have their preferred gender identity on a driver's license or state ID.
While this is just the result of one think tank, it suggests that 34% of the transgender community in the US are affected by this issue.
The passing of the Gender Recognition Act in New York comes ten years after same-sex marriage became legal in the state.
