Austria issued the first “intersex” birth certificate
Austria has for the first time issued a birth certificate stating “intersex” instead of male or female.
This became possible after a four-year procedural battle and at a time when a number of countries provide identity documents with the option “other” in the gender column, except for men or women, Reuters reported.
Alex Jürgen, who is intersex – a term for a person born with atypical chromosomes or sex characteristics, is the first recipient in Austria of a birth certificate in which he is listed as “intersex”. He says he is very happy with what happened and is happy that the law and the government recognize him as intersex.
A number of US states, as well as countries such as Germany, Pakistan and Nepal, allow people to choose a third gender option in official documents.
Most people who take advantage of this opportunity choose the Latin X or the word “different” in the gender column in the identity documents. In 2019, Alex Jürgen also received this right, but continued to insist on writing “intersex”.
He also believes that the requirement for intersex people to undergo a medical examination for their sexual characteristics should be abolished so that they can be legally recognized as “neither a man nor a woman”.
Another European country, the Netherlands, is considering removing the gender column from ID cards by 2025 and limiting unnecessary gender registration where possible.
Austria has for the first time issued a birth certificate stating “intersex” instead of male or female.
This became possible after a four-year procedural battle and at a time when a number of countries provide identity documents with the option “other” in the gender column, except for men or women, Reuters reported.
Alex Jürgen, who is intersex – a term for a person born with atypical chromosomes or sex characteristics, is the first recipient in Austria of a birth certificate in which he is listed as “intersex”. He says he is very happy with what happened and is happy that the law and the government recognize him as intersex.
A number of US states, as well as countries such as Germany, Pakistan and Nepal, allow people to choose a third gender option in official documents.
Most people who take advantage of this opportunity choose the Latin X or the word “different” in the gender column in the identity documents. In 2019, Alex Jürgen also received this right, but continued to insist on writing “intersex”.
He also believes that the requirement for intersex people to undergo a medical examination for their sexual characteristics should be abolished so that they can be legally recognized as “neither a man nor a woman”.
Another European country, the Netherlands, is considering removing the gender column from ID cards by 2025 and limiting unnecessary gender registration where possible.