New Jersey will now allow a gender “X” on driver’s licenses and other identification cards for residents who do not want to identify as male or female.
“Gender ‘X’ will indicate a gender is unspecified, and it will be offered alongside the existing ‘M’ (male) and ‘F’ (female) gender options on licenses and IDs,” the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission said in a statement this week.
“This is offered not only to New Jersey residents who identify as non-binary, but for anyone who prefers that their gender not be specified on their license or ID,” said the statement.
Motor Vehicle Commission Chief Administrator Sue Fulton said the move is part of the state’s efforts to promote “diversity and inclusion.”
“We know this new option will be deeply impactful for many residents, as access to resources and the ability to live and work freely so often hinges on having documentation that correctly reflects your identity,” she said in a statement.
Nineteen other states and several more localities have adopted similar “X” gender identifiers over the past few years. New York City even agreed to allow parents to choose the “X” gender on a child’s birth certificate.
“New Yorkers should be free to tell their government who they are, not the other way around,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said after the law passed.
“This new legislation will empower all New Yorkers—especially our transgender and gender non-binary residents—to have birth certificates that better reflect their identity,” he added, “and it furthers the City’s commitment to defending the rights of our LGBTQ community.”
The LGBTQ rights movement was born in NYC. Today, we’re making history again in the fight for dignity and respect. https://t.co/TZikDlwGxa
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) October 9, 2018
New Jersey was supposed to roll out its “X” option last year, but the law was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
