AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Maine CDC) is considering a policy change that would recognize nonbinary as a gender marker on birth certificates.
The proposed rule change “promotes consistency” in official state documents, Maine CDC says. In 2018, Maine became the first state in New England to allow a nonbinary gender option for driver’s licenses.
Parents may designate nonbinary as the gender marker on birth certificates at the time the birth record is created, the proposed rule says, with mutual parental consent.
People 18 or older or emancipated minors may request the forms for a new Maine birth certificate in order to make the gender change.
If under 18, parental or legal guardian consent is needed. In some cases, a medical provider's signature may be required when making the request.
“When a new certificate of birth is established in accordance with the proposed rule, the original certificate is confidential and available to only the registrant or the registrant’s legal representative, unless otherwise ordered by a court,” the proposed rule says.
More details about requirements can be found in the official proposed rule.
The deadline to submit public comments to the Maine CDC about the proposed change is March 20. There will be a public hearing on the proposed rule on March 9 at 2 p.m. at the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry will hold a public hearing on the proposal on March 9.
