The new gender option on driver’s licenses gives people the option to choose neither male nor female.

“Gender identification is a self-descriptor like eye color, height and weight. Licenses will either have an M, F or X noted in the gender section,” a statement released by the Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services Division said.

On Oct. 3, the “X” was added to licenses in Minnesota. Now people can choose “F” for female, “M” for male or “X” for a non-binary gender, according to Star Tribune.

The new gender option is considerate of people who identify as non-binary. With the new “X” gender option, this makes it easier for people to chose, rather than forcing them to register with a gender they do not identify with.

It would be an injustice for them to have to struggle with this. Therefore, I am glad Minnesota has changed to make an appropriate option for everyone.

More states should make an effort to continue to cater to people who have been systemically marginalized by the government.

For example, according to Huffpost the legislation dubbed the “bathroom bill,” requires people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their sex assigned at birth.

Other states have to consider non-binary people’s rights. So far there are five states in the United States that have ‘X’ as a gender option: Oregon, Washington D.C., California, Maine and now Minnesota, according to Newsweek.

More than one third of people in the United States who are transgender consider themselves non-binary, according to USA Today.

This affects how people choose their gender on driver’s licenses.

The amount of people in the United States who identify as non-binary or trans is 1.3 million. According to a recent study by the University of Minnesota, 3 percent of teens in Minnesota don’t identify as male or female.

With so many people who are trans and non-binary, this new law passed by Minnesota is a step closer to accepting others who do not want to identify with the male or female gender.

Everyone should have fairness to show their individuality and to not have to be like many other people.

Accepting others will be bring more equality in the future where no one has to be ashamed of what gender they desire to be. Everybody will feel equally respected.

The statement is true for others to be able to have rights to what they believe is the right way to express themselves.

They should be allowed to express the gender they are and Minnesota having this new third gender option legitimizes non-binary people that right.