California Senate approves third gender option bill News
California Senate approves third gender option bill

California senators approved a bill [text] in a 26-12 vote on Wednesday that will add a third gender option to state IDs for people who identify as non-binary. The bill will next pass to the Assembly and, if approved, will need to be signed by Governor Jerry Brown [official website]. Should Brown sign the bill, California will be the first state to add a third gender option. Driver’s licenses, identity cards, birth certificates and gender change court orders will be included in the types of documents to add a third gender option. The bill also makes it easier to make changes to identifying documents and allows for minors to apply for gender change with consent from their parent or guardian. The previous requirement that a person applying for a court judgment recognizing a change of gender needs to have undergone some kind of treatment for the purpose of gender transition is replaced by a required affidavit attesting that the requested change is not for any fraudulent purposes. The bill is expected to decrease the harassment and discrimination those whose genders do not match what is listed on their identification often experience.

The transgender community has faced significant legal changes and challenges in the last year. In April the US Department of Justice [official website] dropped a lawsuit [JURIST report] against North Carolina concerning a bill requiring transgender people to use the public bathroom associated with their birth gender. North Carolina repealed [JURIST report] House Bill 2 in March with the passage of House Bill 142. Last May former North Carolina governor Pat McCrory filed a complaint for declaratory judgment asking the federal court to weigh in on the legality of the bill but withdrew [JURIST report] from the lawsuit in September. In March 2016 North Carolina individuals and civil rights groups filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] against McCrory, claiming that the bill was unconstitutional and discriminatory. Earlier that month McCrory signed the bill into law [JURIST report], preventing local governments from enacting their own nondiscrimination ordinances and making them unable to pass laws allowing transgender people to use the public restroom or locker room that corresponds with their gender identity.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.