Reported by Britni De La Cretaz, this article at Them., American Medical Association Recommends Removing Sex From Birth Certificates, is a big deal — and good news that is long overdue.

As the Them Instagram post summarized:

In an incredibly significant — and long overdue — move, the American Medical Association (AMA) has recommended that the “sex” designation be removed from the public facing portion of babies’ birth certificates, reserving that information for medical professionals.

The recommendation comes because “assigning sex using a binary variable and placing it on the public portion of the birth certificate perpetuates a view that it is immutable,” the AMA’s LGBTQ+ advisory committee stated in a June report. Further, the committee says that designating babies as either “male” or “female” at birth “fails to recognize the medical spectrum of gender identity.”

The article adds:

The current requirement to list a baby’s binary sex or gender category in publicly available documentation can lead to many challenges, disproportionately impacting trans, non-binary, and intersex people. For instance, people whose gender identity or presentation doesn’t match the sex on their birth certificate can experience discrimination or harrassment when registering for school, getting married, or adopting a child.

and notes

The AMA also points out that birth certificates have historically “been used to discriminate, promote racial hierarchies, and prohibit miscegenation.” “For that reason, the race of an individual’s parents is no longer listed on the public portion of birth certificates,” the report continues. “However, sex designation is still included on the public portion of the birth certificate, despite the potential for discrimination.”

Read the full piece here.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee