Puerto Rico permits nonbinary gender marker on birth certificates in landmark court decision

Puerto Rico s Supreme Court has reached a decision to allow nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people to update their birth certificates The action was brought about by six non-binary individuals born in Puerto Rico who filed a lawsuit claiming that the Commonwealth s current Birth Certificate Procedures violates the right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution according to the court filing The court's decision will now allow people who identify as nonbinary or gender-nonconforming to select X as their gender marker on birth certificates TEXAS LAWMAKERS CONSIDERING BILL TO BAN GENDER CHANGES ON BIRTH CERTIFICATESIn the filing the court explains that there would be no rational basis to deny the request The current Birth Certificate Plan of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico arbitrarily distinguishes between binary and nonbinary individuals and subjects nonbinary individuals to disfavored healing without any justification for doing so In such cases it is the duty of the federal courts to intervene to guarantee the equal protection of all persons under the law it states Pedro Julio Serrano president of Puerto Rico s LGBTQ Federation called Friday s ruling a historic one that upholds equality according to the Associated Press TRANSGENDER PEOPLE SUE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER NEW PASSPORT PROCEDURES ELIMINATING 'X' GENDER MARKERThe defendants named in the occurrence opposed the request arguing that the cabinet of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has a legitimate interest in maintaining vital records and statistics regarding its citizens The filing argued that this argument ignores the fact that the Commonwealth already permits its citizens to amend information on their birth certificates including modifying the gender marker The legislators have already enacted provision to ensure that in the situation of modifications the original unaltered birth certificates are preserved by the state Puerto Rico joins at least U S states that permit their residents to include the nonbinary or gender-neutral sex on their birth certificates