Cambridge Considers Adding 3rd Gender Option To Birth Certificate

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Cambridge is considering adding a gender-neutral option to birth certificates for people who don’t identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. The city council unanimously passed a proposal Monday to ask State lawmakers to give Cambridge permission to allow people to amend their birth certificates and indicate “X” as a gender option.

"On Monday, I am introducing a policy order that places our city on a path to offering parents, #transgender & gender-nonconforming individuals born in #CambMA an option to choose gender “X” on their birth certificates, joining cities & states across US," Mayor Marc McGovern posted to his Facebook page over the weekend.

The proposal - brought forward by McGovern and co-sponsors Councilors Denise Simmons, Alanna Mallon and Sumbul Siddiqui - comes after New York City and four states made similar options available. Washington D.C. and New Jersey will be among them in February.

"Cambridge strives to be a welcoming community to all — including our transgender and gender non-binary friends and neighbors, a goal that the Council can advance by joining other jurisdictions in offering a third gender category and removing barriers for residents born in this city to amend their birth certificates," the proposal says.

Ahead of a council meeting set for Monday night, Councilor Jan Devereux said it seemed like a natural fit for the city.

"Cambridge’s overwhelming support for the recent Yes on 3 ballot question protecting transgender rights, this seems like a very reasonable change," she wrote in a newsletter on Jan. 4.

Monday night at City Hall, the mayor echoed that, adding the city learned a lot from the active Yes on Question 3 campaign in Cambridge in the run up to the November election.

"We learned there's a lot of discrimination and misunderstanding and toxicity, but we also learned that there are a number of people that feel differently. Certainly in Cambridge we know that close to 90 percent voted on Yes on 3. We're long overdue to start thinking about these issues differently and this is a step to make that happen and this is a step to sending a message that we are supportive and welcoming to everybody," he said.

The Massachusetts senate voted on a Gender X bill on state IDs in July, but it hasn't been taken up by the House yet, said Mallon Monday night. She said she hoped other municipalities would follow Cambridge's suit and help push forward that Gender X bill and send a message to community members.

"This designation would be a signal to our transgender and non binary conforming community that their municipal leaders and government care about them and respect their identity, " said Mallon. "This would just be one step."

The full policy order:

On January 1, 2019, a new law took effect in New York City allowing transgender and gender non-binary people born in that City to amend their birth certificates without having to go through burdensome medical and administrative barriers; and

WHEREAS:

New York City joins the states of Oregon, California, Washington and New Jersey in offering a third gender category on birth certificates, granting residents more control in defining for the government who they are and affirming their humanity and dignity; and

WHEREAS:

Cambridge strives to be a welcoming community to all—including our transgender and gender non-binary friends and neighbors—a goal that the Council can advance by joining other jurisdictions in offering a third gender category and removing barriers for residents born in this city to amend their birth certificates; now therefore be it

ORDERED:

That the City Solicitor be and hereby is requested to draft a home rule petition to the state legislature that would allow the City of Cambridge to begin to offer a third gender category “X” on birth certificates, and to collaborate with the LGBTQ+ Commission on this effort.

Never miss another local news story: Get free local news alerts right to your inbox.

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch Staff