New Gender Option On German Birth Certificates

As of this month, Germany has become the first nation in Europe to issue birth certificates with third gender distinction.

This means parents who have children that are born with indeterminate genders will no longer be forced to choose between "male" or "female" gender options. They instead can decide to leave the gender space blank. This also allows the children to replace the blank with male, female, or neither once they are grown and have determined which gender they identify with.

This amendment to Germany's Civil Status Act was voted upon on May 7, 2013 by the German legislature. However, until recently, this amendment received little attention in the media. That changed when certain groups started to point out the legal change's shortcomings.

A German Family Law Journal, FarMZ, pointed out that those who choose the "blank" option will experience a host of bureaucratic headaches when traveling outside of Germany. It has been suggested that Germany use an "X" to designate third gender on its passports to make traveling a bit smoother.

This change seems to have mixed reviews. Some people don't think this is enough for Germany's third gender population. However, others applauded their effort and believe it will help make things easier for third gender citizens in the future. I believe this amendment will help bring awareness to other countries as well.

Not very many places in the world seem to acknowledge third gender citizens from any standpoint, much less a legal one, but Germany isn't the only country to start making a change this year alone. Earlier this year, Nepal started issuing third gender citizenship certificates. Additionally, Sweden instituted a third-gender pronoun, "hen". The term is used as an alternative to the masculine "han" or feminine "hon" and was added to the Swedish National Encyclopedia. In general, the concept of being third gender isn't easy for some to comprehend, but, the more it's talked about and acknowledged, the more people can be educated and the better things can get.

All over today's world, changes are being made for all kinds of sexual minorities. Some people might not see these changes as a big deal, but I think every change counts for the bigger picture. Even tiny changes help bring awareness and add equality to the world.