To many Americans, sex and gender exist within a binary system — man and woman. This idea of a binary is a lie, as any gender studies student, social justice advocate or gender-nonconforming individual will tell you. Outside of simple ‘man and woman’ exists a plethora of sexes and genders, including genderqueer, agender, third gender, fourth gender, hijra, two-spirit, intergender, intersex, bigender and demigender. People who identify outside of the binary face constant discrimination and invalidation. Seek out a passport, and you’ll be asked if you are a man or woman. An application for a driver’s license, university education or even a day at a go-kart track asks if you are a man or a woman. At birth, you are assigned man or woman by parents and doctors. People who are intersex know this better than anyone. If your genitals are too large (for women) or too small (for men), surgery is performed to assign a clear sex at birth — because waiting for you to figure out who you are would just be too difficult for parents, teachers and doctors.

Recently in India, a victory for non-binary individuals was won as the Indian Supreme Court ruled in a decision to recognize third gender individuals on official documents as living, valid and equal human beings. According to the BBC, Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan said, “Recognition of transgenders as a third gender is not a social or medical issue but a human rights issue.” And human rights activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi said, “Today I feel a proud citizen of India. This verdict has come as a great relief for all of us … Today my sisters and I feel like real Indians, and we feel so proud because of the rights granted to us by the Supreme Court.”

Every day, individuals outside of the gender binary are faced with exclusions in housing, bathrooms and employment. To be recognized as who you are is an incredible feeling for those whose identities have constantly been invalidated.

According to RT, Nepal, Australia, Germany and New Zealand all allow a third-gender identification similar to India’s. Global Voices reported in November 2013 that “Hijras, a South Asian feminine gender identity … will now be considered as a separate gender in Bangladesh.” At the same time, The Guardian reported that Germany began to recognize intersex individuals in addition to men and women.

Alongside the boxes “M” and “F,” there should be “X.” It is time the antiquated notion that humans can only be both men or women is dissolved. For years, this country has seen the courage in individuals as they have come out and embraced an identity outside of the binary. These same individuals fight daily for safety and recognition. How much longer will it take for “M” and “F” to be accompanied by a multitude of other letters recognizing the beautiful diversity of humanity?

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