
Oklahoma governor signs law banning nonbinary birth certificates
CNN
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday signed a new law that bans nonbinary gender markers on birth certificates in the state.
The legislation, which cleared the Oklahoma state legislature in recent weeks, states: "The biological sex designation on a certificate of birth issued under this section shall be either male or female and shall not be nonbinary or any symbol representing a nonbinary designation including but not limited to the letter 'X'." The law takes effect immediately because it was passed with an emergency designation.
Oklahoma's measure is part of a broader effort by conservatives to make it more difficult for transgender and nonbinary Americans to receive gender-affirming health care, play sports or change their birth certificates and other identification documents to match their gender identity. LGBTQ advocates say that allowing people to use nonbinary gender markers can reduce the risk of harassment and discrimination they experience when their perceived physical appearances do not match the genders on their identification documents.

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