I want to start by saying that I am non-binary trans, myself. I use “they/them/their” pronouns, my gender is between the gender spectrum, and I’m currently waiting for Virginia to start allowing us to put “X” gender markers on our IDs and Driver’s Licenses. Binary and non-binary trans people deserve to be legally recognized, respected, and represented in our government— state-wide and federally. Trans women, trans men, and non-binary trans people have existed in every culture on Earth, throughout history. Now, we’ve finally been given a chance to speak up about our experiences. It’s been a long time coming, but we currently have the language to express who we are, and we have access to resources that can help to support us when issues arise, which typically stem from transphobia and a lack of equal rights (workplace discrimination, being unfairly turned away by religious doctors even in emergency rooms, getting evicted from our houses only because we are trans, systemic homelessness, etc). We should be able to easily update our gender markers, to reflect our true identities. Our genders assigned at birth, marked on our birth certificates, were only “assumed” based on our anatomy. No one could’ve told us who we would be, before we knew that ourselves! We now know that physical anatomy doesn’t determine someone’s gender, and gender itself is a spectrum (just like orientation is). Our laws should align with the most recent scientific findings and with reality itself. The WHO, APA, WPATH, the latest DSM, and the overwhelming majority of professionals in the field affirm everything I just explained, above. My hope is that one day, third gender marker options will also be available and easily accessible to all Americans, across the country. This is the next logical step to get to that point, and to continue working toward gaining equal rights for all trans people. This update is important because not all trans people transition in a medical sense, and many of us don’t transition with surgery. Some trans people don’t want to physically transition, and some of us simply can’t due to financial or medical issues. It wouldn’t be fair to require all trans people to show proof of surgery before being allowed to change their gender marker on their birth certificate, because the majority of us transition only by taking hormones, or by only transitioning socially (through changing our pronouns, our name, the way we dress, etc). Many of us can’t afford gender-confirming surgeries, because we don’t have decent health insurance. If we do, health insurance doesn’t cover enough of the cost. Top surgery, which is essentially a mastectomy for an AFAB (assigned female at birth) trans person typically costs around $10,000 without insurance, and even with good health insurance it could be $3,000 or more, out of pocket. Lower/bottom surgery (sometimes called SRS, or sexual reassignment surgery) for trans men and AFAB non-binary trans folks can end up being $100,000+ total, when all is said and done. “Lower” surgery for people with our anatomy is typically more difficult and expensive than it is for AMAB (assigned male at birth) trans individuals, and we usually need at least 3 to 5 separate surgical procedures to get the results we’re looking for. There are many reasons for this— they’re complex surgeries and there are a few different types of lower surgeries that a person can choose from. I hope everyone is able to see that we deserve the right to tell the world who we are, and we deserve to have the government acknowledge our identities. We go through so much our entire lives, just to be ourselves. We wouldn’t go through all of that if it wasn’t absolutely vital!