A Canadian baby may be the first in the world to be registered with as ‘gender unknown’.
The baby, Searyl Atli Doty, was born at home in November last year and has been issued with a health care card without a specified gender.
Searyl’s parent, Kori Doty, is a non-binary trans parent who doesn’t identify as either male or female. Doty believes the baby should have the right to determine their own gender identity when they’re older.
Speaking to CBC News, Doty explained they're raising Searyl to "have the sense of self and command of vocabulary" to determine their own gender.
"I'm recognising them as a baby and trying to give them all the love and support to be the most whole person that they can be outside of the restrictions that come with the boy box and the girl box," they said.
Doty says assumptions based on gender can follow people around for their whole lives.
"When I was born, doctors looked at my genitals and made assumptions about who I would be, and those assignments followed me and followed my identification throughout my life," Doty told CBC News.
"Those assumptions were incorrect, and I ended up having to do a lot of adjustments since then."
In the documentary Non Binary Baby, Doty explained they use the pronoun 'they' to refer to their baby.
Doty believes when the baby is "old enough to express themselves and who they are in the world" they may choose a different pronoun such as 'she' or 'he' or they may choose to continue to be referred to as 'they'.
Although the British Colombian government recently sent baby Searyl a health care card with the letter 'U' listed under gender, they're refusing to do the same with their birth certificate.
Doty, who is a member of the Gender-Free ID Coalition, has applied for a judicial review to not include any gender on Searyl's birth certificate.
Doty, alongside seven others, is also fighting to change the gender on their own birth certificate.
If Doty is successful, Searyl will be the world's first official non-binary baby.
Top Comments
Well you didn't give your baby a choice whether to be born or not... what is this world coming to? My son goes to a school where he is friends with gays lesbians & transgender people.. they are all his friends so there is no judgement they are fantastic people. But come in, this is just confusing for a child. It is only my opinion but I really think the world has gone bonkers..
If the parents don't want to impose a gender on the baby, why impose a name on them then? Why not let them grow up and choose a name themselves. One they will identify with. Meanwhile, just keep calling them "THEM"