As of July 1, Oregon residents will have three options for gender on state-issued IDs and driver’s licenses: M, F or X. The X offers an option for individuals who identify as non-binary, neither exclusively male or female. The decision by the state’s Transportation Commission makes Oregon the first state in the country to allow residents to identify as non-binary. The Oregonian reports that plans for the new option were first announced last summer and 83 public comments were submitted to the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles. Only 12 people opposed the change.
While Oregon may be the first state to recognize non-binary identity, California is not far behind. The Gender Recognition Act, or Senate Bill 179, would allow an individual to change their gender on a birth certificate or driver’s license to be female, male, or non-binary. The bill has been passed in the senate and now must make it through the General Assembly and the office of the governor.