South Africa to introduce third gender option on national IDs

South Africa’s government has committed to offering a third gender option on national identity documents to better “accomodate” non-binary people.

Every South African is assigned a 13-digit national ID number at birth, a system that was introduced during Apartheid when the number indicated a person’s race to decide how they would be treated by the state.

The code, which no longer indicates race, still gives details on the individual’s date of birth, citizenship status and gender. There are only two options for the code for gender: male and female.

National ID numbers are used for everything in South Africa, from voter registration, to applying for a passport, to opening a bank account.

According to Quartz Africa, around 530,000 South African people identify as non-binary, and have been left without accurate identification.

But the country’s Department of Home Affairs is now planning a consultation with the LGBT+ community to change that.

Sihle Mthiyane, head of policy and strategy at the Department of Home Affairs has confirmed: “The identity number will change to accommodate the LGBTIQ community.”

Source: PinkNews

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