The Mexican state of Guanajuato issued the state's first non-binary birth certificate after a judicial process to a person of the non-binary gender. Mexico has made history as a birth certificate with a non-binary gender has never been issued to an individual before.
Fausto Martinez receives NB Ling's first birth certificate
Fausto Martínez becomes a person of the non-binary gender to obtain a birth certificate in Mexico after the civil registry of Guanajuato. He is a 26-year-old activist who has obtained a certificate that now lists "NB" (non-binary) as a section of "sex".
A credential to vote with the 'NB' specification started the process on 24 September last year. Fausto requested the National Electoral Institute (INE), which has a transgender protocol. The Fausto and Amicus Association received the support of a judge on 11 February. At first INE rejected his request as there was no official document confirming this style. Nearly half of the 32 states have laws that allow transgender people to modify their official documents to reflect their sexual identity.
Fausto Martinez reveals the reality
Furthermore, the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that "gender identity is an important component of people's identity". Hence its recognition by the state is mandatory."
With the highest number of violent crimes against LGBTQIA+ people, Mexico is the second country in Latin America after Brazil. The Arco Iris Foundation's National Observatory of Hate Crimes LGBT brings this information to the fore. It is with this achievement that Fausto hopes to bring about such changes to combat discrimination. Fausto Martinez revealed that as long as violence exists, it contributes to the public discussion of the issue. As a result, they become polarized on both the definition of gender and its understanding in general.
The number of LGBTI people murdered in Latin America and the Caribbean between 2014 and 2020 is 3,514. Prejudice against their sexual orientation or gender identity resulted in more than 1,400 murders. The number of cases stood at 327 in 2019 and 351 in 2020 during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nevertheless, this is the first time that the state has granted a certificate to a non-binary person in Mexico. And this was in Guanajuato, a state that does not recognize gender identity.