New Jersey Governer Phil Murphy signed the Babs Siperstein Bill, a bill that will allow parents to select a gender-neutral marker on their children's birth certificates, into law last year and will come into effect in February, according to News 12 New Jersey.
Effective February 1st, parents will be able to choose a third, gender-neutral or non-binary option for their children on their birth certificates, as well as allowing adults to change their gender marker on their birth and death certificates (I assume a family member of the deceased will have the right to change the death certificate) without proof of reassignment surgery.
Gender is separate from sex, as sex is a biological concept, while gender is more a means of expression of one's identity and one's gender is not always consistent with one's biological sex. Some people are also born intersex, so this third option on birth certificates will help them more accurately identify themselves.
The Bill was created because of Babs Siperstein, a resident of Edison and the first transgender woman to be elected into the Democratic National Committee in 2012. California, Oregon, and Washington are other states with similar legislation.
As a person who has lived in New Jersey his whole life, I am glad to see that my tiny home state is furthering LGBTQ rights for transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people by validating their identities.
h/t: News 12 New Jersey