The state of New York just made a major step in the right direction for intersex people by issuing the first known non-binary birth certificate to 55-year-old Sara Kelly Keenan on Wednesday.
Born intersex with male genes, female genetalia and mixed reproductive organs, it took 55 years for Keenan's birth certificate to finally reflect her gender. According to Elle, Keenan (who prefers female pronouns) was first labeled as male on her initial birth certificate, but was issued a female birth certificate three weeks after being born. Her new birth certificate simply reads "intersex," and is the first known birth certificate in the United States that allows for a third gender to be used.
Keenan has been working since 2012 to make third sex birth certificates available, and her birth certificate represents a major milestone for rights of intersex people and those who identify as non-binary.
"Not all intersex people will choose to identify legally as intersex,” she told NBC. “And not all parents will choose to have their intersex child identified as intersex on birth documents. But for those who do, the option must exist.”
Keenan celebrated the historic change by posting a photo of herself in a shirt that reads "Intersexxy and perfect," while holding up an "I 'heart' NY" sign, and it's basically impossible not to smile while looking at it. Despite an end to 2016 that has been marked by fear regarding the future of gender rights, we're hoping progress like this will continue to be made into 2017.