Applicants for food stamps, Medicaid, and other forms of public assistance in New York will shortly be able to select “X” as their gender on the application.
A lawsuit filed in 2021 against multiple government agencies alleged that the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s computer system compels nonbinary individuals to either falsify under oath by declaring themselves as male or female or be denied benefits. On Wednesday, a court settlement was reached in response to this claim.
The Empire State’s public assistance and health agencies will make “X” gender indicators available on applicable forms by Jan. 1.
The settlement will permit the New York City Human Resources Administration to offer “X” gender indicators on forms before January 1, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union, which purchased the lawsuit on behalf of multiple plaintiffs.
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“This is a major victory for the thousands of nonbinary New Yorkers who will now be able to apply for public benefits without having to lie about their identity or risk being misgendered,” Gabriella Larios, an attorney for the NYCLU, said in a statement to the Associated Press.
New York’s driver’s licenses and birth certificates include a nonbinary gender option. On their U.S. passport applications, U.S. citizens could select “X” as their gender marker beginning in April 2022.
