One of the most progressive US states - California - is seriously considering a law that recognizes the existence of such a sex as a non-binary, which is, in fact, a third gender. This is due to the appearance of the world's first asexual man.
Shocking confession
Last summer, Star Hagen-Esquerra began to think seriously about changing her name. She used the name Star from the age of 15, when she told her friends and relatives that she does not consider herself either male or female, and is a sexless person.
Star admitted that she does not feel like a girl or a boy, and asked relatives to refer to her exclusively in the plural to avoid the use of various pronouns.
Star felt uncomfortable giving the wrong name on various documents as she likes to follow the rules and doesn't plan to break the law. When it came time to fill out the documents for the university, Star also experienced some stress, because she could not say who she really considered herself to be. She felt worthlesshuman.
Triumph of Justice
Star Hagen-Esquerra decided to change her name shortly before the presidential election, when the local Diversity Center in Santa Cruz County, California hosted a so-called "Diversity Day", where people could learn in detail about transgender difference and difficulties with paperwork, including for a sexless person.
That was when Star first saw Sarah Kelly Keenan, 55, the intersex activist who became the second non-binary person in all of America. She wanted to help young people who could openly admit their gender, as well as avoid paperwork and fight for their rights.
Sarah helped Star through all the vicissitudes of the law and the young asexual man officially received the status of non-binary.
Struggle for recognition
Unfortunately, neither the federal government nor the municipal authorities officially recognize the third gender. Non-binary, as the asexual person is called, is a relatively new term and causes a huge amount of controversy and misunderstanding both in America and in the rest of the world. The beliefs of such people are simply not taken seriously.
But the ice has broken, and the situation with the definition of asexual people in the law is starting to change. Keenan, Star, and several other Californians are trying through the legislature to formally recognize non-binary status. So why make people asexual? Thisthe bill will be able to simplify the self-determination of such citizens: the so-called third gender will be indicated in the driver's license, passport and birth certificate. Nearly 40 million Californians will be eligible.
Why?
Sarah and Star didn't have a goal of pioneering the self-determination of genderless people. They simply tried to convey to others their own vision of the world and their place in it. Until she was 49 years old, Sarah did not know about her belonging to intersex, that is, to people with sexual characteristics of both sexes.
Sarah Keenan is the owner of male genes, female genitalia and a mixed reproductive system, but neither relatives nor doctors have ever told her about it. Official science does not yet give a positive answer to the question of whether human asexual reproduction is possible.
About six years ago, when Sarah learned the truth about herself and her identity as intersex, she began to fight for self-determination, which took several years. According to her, the goal is to achieve equality among all members of society. She says kids like Star should live life to the fullest and not get caught up in the awful paperwork.
At the moment, Star Hagen-Esquerra and Sarah Keenan marked the beginning of a new phase in the LGBT community. Every day there are fewer and fewer obstacles on the way to gender freedom and self-determination of asexual people, photos of which can be found in the article.
Difficulties
At the court session in which the decision onStar's gender identity, she was asked if her decision was a consequence of a rebellion of hormones and impulses, to which the young American replied that she had never made impulsive decisions in her life.
According to Star, this piece of paper saved her from having to endlessly prove her gender neutrality to everyone throughout her life.
Her non-binary status has been challenged by society and the law many times, as she loves feminine dresses, bright makeup and hair with flowing curls. Star also builds relationships with straight guys, which makes her gender even more confusing.
Opposition
Opposition to the bill is the Christian community California Family Council. This organization is of the opinion that the status of non-binary will throw into chaos the generally accepted concepts of gender. Organization activist Greg Burt urged jurors to think about their children and the future of the nation at the first hearing of the Third Gender Bill.
Greg didn't show up for the second hearing and was replaced by Jonathan Keller, who is the executive director of the California Family Council. He tried to argue his disagreement with the technical aspects of the issue, in particular, the change in the rules in schools and colleges. Will there be sports teams with third genders? Or locker rooms for sexless people? How much will it cost?
On May 31, 2017, the bill was formally approved by the SenateState of California with 26 votes in favor and 12 against. The bill was later referred to the California Assembly.
