The intersex community in Germany will soon be able to select a third gender option, with the country's cabinet this week approving plans to add 'diverse' in official documents like passports.
According to , the change still requires parliamentary approval. However, with mounting pressure to "either to create a third identity or scrap gender entries altogether", it is widely expected to be law by the end of the year.
"No one should be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual identity,” the minister who drafted the bill told media, reports .
The minister added that she hoped intersex people would now have a "greater sense of dignity and positive identity" following the cabinet's vote.
However, the bill is far from perfect, with Germany's cabinet proposing the third gender option only be available to intersex people and not members of the trans community but vowing to address the matter in a later bill.
Green party lawmakers Sven Lehmann and Monika Lazar addressed this in a joint statement.
“Why should you produce a doctor’s certificate to change your civil status?” they asked.
“That must be a self-determined decision that is open to all.”
