The first baby to be marked as gender neutral has been born
In what is thought to be the first case in the world, a baby has been born as gender neutral in Canada.
The baby, Searyl Atli Doty, has been issued a health card with the letter 'U' in the gender box for 'unknown'.
This comes as Searyl's parents fight to allow their child to pick its own gender identity in years to come.
In what could be a 1st, #BC child #BC issued health card w/ "U" for sex. Parent Kori Doty at centre of fight w/ Vital Statistics. #LGBTQ pic.twitter.com/MPlQsO8qYe
— Charmaine de Silva (@char_des) June 30, 2017
The baby's parents are going to court after the Vital Statistics Agency of British Columbia refused to issue a birth certificate for the child.
“We’re not actually asking to have anyone’s ID changed against their will. We’re just asking to change the structure of how identification, particularly the birth certificate, starts out,” Searyl's parent Kori said.
Kori said that the family's goal is for the child to discover its own identity, and even when people ask if the child is a boy or girl, Kori has a swift retort.
Doty's child born outside medical system, no "genital inspection." Wants birth cert w/o gender so baby's gender identity develops #LGBTQ
— Charmaine de Silva (@char_des) June 30, 2017
“Often I’ll just say I don’t know yet, or I’m not rushing to apply those types of labels on this kid. Right now they’re just a baby.”
The parents explained that it was a massive turning point when Searyl's health card came in the post, marked with 'U'.
“For us, it’s a huge step forward,” they said.
Main image: Kori Doty Facebook
