Gender-Neutral Policies

Multiple articles this week featured new gender-neutral policies across the globe. A new bill in Malta’s Parliament will make it easier for gender-neutral candidates to be elected by establishing a quota for underrepresented identities. Children’s ID cards in Italy will no longer include “mother” or “father” but instead have gender-neutral terms, such as “parent 1” and “parent 2”. Council members of Sudbury, Canada have voted to transition from gender specific language to using gender-neutral language, changing the title Board of Selectmen to Select Board. City officials in Greensboro, North Carolina are adding gender-neutral pronouns to their city ordinances ranging from the use of “he/she” to “they”.

Colorado recently changed their policies on common-law marriage to be more flexible and gender neutral for legal standards of a union. Justice Monica Marquez stated, “The significance of a given factor will depend on the individual, the relationship and the broader circumstances, including cultural differences.” The senior attorney at an LGBTQ+ rights organization commented, “Same-sex couples may not present themselves publicly as married out of fear of discrimination and the lack of public presentation should not necessarily count against a claim common-law marriage. The same standards should be applied to different-sex couples and same-sex couples, but you should recognize the reality of LGBTQ relationships. That’s exactly what the court did.”