This past week has seen huge strides for the LGBTQ community. In the U.S., six transgender people won state elections on Tuesday, setting a precedent for others to take leadership positions in the coming years.
Over in Europe, there’s now a major push for greater gender inclusion and diversity. Germany just ruled to include a gender option besides male or female in the nation’s birth registry. In an announcement, the Federal Constitutional Court said:
The assignment of gender is of paramount importance for individual identity; it usually plays a key role both for a person’s self-conception and for the way this person is perceived by others. The gender identity of persons who can be assigned neither male nor female gender is also protected under this right.
Legislators there have until the end of 2018 to come up with new rules, either the creation of a third positive gender option — or even doing away with gender entries in civil registries at all.
While gender identification may not seem like a parenting issue, it really is, especially when it comes to LGBTQ couples and individuals becoming parents, and being able to be open about their identities.
The U.S. has slowly been making progress on this front, too, considering Oregon and California allow people to change their gender to non-binary — rulings changed within the past two years. Australia, India, New Zealand and Nepal also recognize gender-nonconforming people.
At time where family structures and dynamics are changing, gender politics are not only crucial to the parenting world and community, but to how we raise our children to perceive and identify themselves.
Image: Helena Perez García
