Colombia will include the "non-binary" gender in the identity document

Case of a 40-year-old transgender woman prompted the decision made by the Constitutional Court in Colombia

The Sixth Review Chamber of the Colombian Constitutional Court ruled the inclusion of the “non-binary” category in the citizen identification scheme

In this sense, and in accordance with ruling T-033 of 2022, the National Government and the National Registry will have six (6) months to carry out the process of modification and inclusion of the gender and contemplate the requirements so that the persons who thus identify can opt for that category.

If after six months they have not made the corresponding modifications, citizens who meet the requirements may request a change in their identity documents before the competent authorities.

Additionally, Congress will have two (2) years to regulate the rights and related obligations that "find in sex or gender, an allocation criterion."

Case of a transgender woman prompted the decision

In 2019, 40-year-old Dani García requested a document that identified her as the " indeterminate sex ", since her appearance did not fit within the standards that society has established for the female sex.

However, the National Registry rejected the request, until now that the case reached the Constitutional Court from where they ordered to give him a document that incorporates the “non-binary” marker in the sex component.

This when considering that their rights to human dignity, legal personality, free development of personality and freedom of conscience were violated.

García, who was born as a man, began his transition process at the age of 20, and in 2015 he changed his name to Dani García, thus identifying himself with the female sex.

What is gender non-binary?

People who identify with the "non-binary" gender are those who do not recognize themselves in the masculine and feminine genders, that is, they do not feel like men or women, without this interfering with their sexual orientation.

Those who identify as "non-binary" ask that they not be pigeonholed into the pronouns "he" or "she", even using "them" or "them".

According to the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) of Colombia, 1.8% of the 36 million adult citizens consider themselves to be part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Celebrities who have declared themselves "non-binary"

In the past, artists from different areas of entertainment have declared themselves "non-binary", not feeling men or women, such is the case of Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith, Ezra Miller, Jonathan Van Ness, Ruby Rose, Demi Lovato and Elle Page, who even changed her name to “Elliot”.