Dignity Project objects to ruling allowing nonbinary option in birth certificates

By The Star Staff

Lisie Burgos, a spokeswoman for the Dignity Project, publicly opposed a federal court ruling on Monday that requires the Demographic Registry to include a non-binary option on birth certificates.

She argued that the ruling contradicts President Trump’s policies against diversity and does not align with the local legal framework that seeks to identify gender as an ideological concept.

“I recognized the dignity of everyone to live their own lives but not to impose their views on others who do not share it,” she said.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by six non-binary individuals born in Puerto Rico, who allege that the Commonwealth’s current Birth Certificate Policy violates their right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Since 2018, transgender individuals in Puerto Rico have been allowed to amend the gender marker on their birth certificates, transitioning from male to female or from female to male. However, the plaintiffs in this case identify as non-binary, meaning their gender identity is neither male nor female. They sought a gender marker on their birth certificates that accurately reflects their true identity, as is the right of all individuals.

“The current Birth Certificate Policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico arbitrarily distinguishes between binary and non-binary individuals, subjecting non-binary individuals to unfavorable treatment without justification. In such cases, it is the duty of federal courts to intervene to ensure equal protection for all individuals under the law. Therefore, the plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment is granted,” stated Judge María Antongiorgi-Jordán.

The judge emphasized that Puerto Rico’s existing birth certificate policy lacks a rational basis and thus violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. She ordered, “Defendants are hereby instructed to promptly amend their Application for Gender Change form to include an option to select an ‘X’ as the gender marker on their birth certificates.”