Massachusetts residents would be able to change the sex listed on their birth certificate to a nonbinary X under a bill approved unanimously Thursday by the Massachusetts Senate.
No medical or health-care related documentation, court order or proof of change of name would be required from the individual making the request. Several U.S. states already offer a similar range of gender designations on driver’s licenses and forms of identification. The U.S. State Department announced this summer it is moving toward adding a gender marker for nonbinary, intersex and gender nonconforming people applying for passports.The Senate approved a second bill Thursday on a 38-1 vote requiring school districts that offer sexual health education to rely on a “medically accurate, age-appropriate” curriculum.
Schools would have to give parents or guardians the chance to inspect course materials ahead of time. Parents would be able to opt their children out of the classes without the student facing any disciplinary action or academic penalty if they opt out. The bill is also similar to legislation approved by the Senate last year.