Scotland could become the first British nation to legally recognise a third gender identity.
As well as being able to identify as male or female in official documents, Scottish citizens would also be able to put their identifier down as non-binary – meaning that they don’t prescribe to either.
Following a consultation by the Scottish Government, a majority agreed that citizens should have the legal right to identify as non-binary.
Moreover, two third also said they believe that the age in which people can apply to legally change their gender should be lowered from 18 to 16, reports the Scotsman.
In an independent analysis of the consultation conducted by the Scottish Government, 65 per cent of Scottish respondents said that they want to see ministers “take action to recognise non-binary people”.
What’s more, 56 per cent agreed that non-binary people should be given the legal right to legally change their gender as part of a new self-declaration system.
This would remove the need for applicants to provide medical evidence as a means to justify their gender identity.
“We will consider this analysis and the views of consultees as we take forward our commitment to bring forward legislation on gender recognition,” a Scottish Government spokeswoman said.
The consultation attracted more than 15,000 response after it was launched last year.
It was created as part of plans to redefine the Gender Recognition Act 2004, which aims to make people’s application to legally change their gender more simple and less intrusive.
The Scottish Trans Alliance welcomed the results, adding that with the large amount of respondents and a majority agreeing with changes to be made indicates that the public’s view on the issue is “clear”.
“While advancing equality for minority groups does not depend on opinion polling, it is always great to see high levels of consultation support,” said the group’s manager James Morton.
“We also welcome that opponents of the reforms have been able to freely share their views with the Government, as we believe that constructive dialogue and close scrutiny of legislation proposals is always helpful in ensuring there will be no unintended consequences.”
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