California Lawmakers Want To Add Third Gender Option To IDs

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill supporters say would make California the first state to add a third gender option on state identifying documents.

State Sen. Toni Atkins announced the measure Thursday to add a non-binary gender option on documents including driver's licenses, birth certificates and identity cards. The San Diego Democrat's bill would also simplify the process for changing one's gender on those documents.

Atkins says the legislation would help transgender people and people who don't identify as male or female obtain documents that match their gender identity.

She says transgender people face discrimination when they use IDs that don't match their perceived gender.

Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco is co-authoring the bill. He says California should take the lead in enacting protections for transgender people.