Argentina has just made a change to their national identity documents to show support and acceptance to Argentinians who are nonbinary. According to NBC News, during the ceremony unveiling the new document option, Argentinian President, Alberto Fernández, said, “There are other identities besides that of man and woman, and they must be respected…there are a thousand ways to love and be loved and be happy.”
¡Todas las identidades son válidas! 💜💪 y ¡el Estado las reconoce!
Sí, así como lo leés 🙌 A partir de hoy las personas no binarias y que NO se autoperciban dentro del binomio “masculino-femenino” o que no quieran que dicha denominación figure en su documentación 🙅♀️ pic.twitter.com/g86vzv9l6Q
— Zona Igualdad (@zonaigualdad) July 21, 2021
This move is a first in South America. However, as CNN reports, various other countries around the world already allow gender-nonconforming people to change their gender marker. Such countries include Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In fact, even the USA is in the process of allowing for a nonconforming option on US Passports.
According to the prominent German news organization DW, Argentina has been one of the most progressive nations for LGBTQ people not just in South America, but in the entire world. The article states, “The South American country passed a law recognizing same-sex marriage in 2010. Two years later, it legally allowed gender identity change. In June, lawmakers approved a 1% quota of public sector jobs to be reserved for transgender people.”
