New York officials have issued the first known intersex birth certificate.
Sara Kelly Keenan, 55, who in September became the first California resident to change her gender to “non-binary,” made history again this week when the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene granted her request for an intersex birth certificate.
Ms. Keenan, who prefers female pronouns, was born with male genes, female genitalia and mixed internal reproductive organs.
“Not all intersex people will choose to identify legally as intersex, and not all parents will choose to have their intersex child identified as intersex on birth documents. But for those who do, the option must exist,” Ms. Keenan told NBC News Thursday.
Lambda Legal attorney Paul Castillo also lauded the decision, telling the network that the outcome “provides an enormous sense of validation for a number of non-binary and intersex people.”
Ms. Keenan told NBC that she started hormone replacement therapy at age 16. Her father said that doctors wanted to construct a penis to match the child’s male chromosomes, but he declined.
“I wondered if [the health department would] actually issue it and wasn’t going to believe it until I saw it,” she told NBC. “It is both shocking and empowering.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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