Schneewölfchen 🌨️🐺Mar 13
Rhys 🦊

There is a petition on the UK Parliament website to legally recognise nonbinary as a gender – which would include an X marker on UK passports for nonbinary people.

The deadline to sign is March 2026 and at the time of writing only 213 people have signed.

Let's show them the power of the Fediverse. At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be debated in Parliament.

Sign 👇

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/738780

#NonBinary #Enby #Trans #Transgender #Queer #LGBTQ #LGBT #UK #UKMastodon #Fediverse

Petition: Legally recognise non-binary as a gender

Non-binary isn’t a legally recognised gender in the UK. We urge the Government to legally recognise non-binary as a gender and people who identify as non-binary in the UK. This proposal would include an X marker on UK passports for non-binary people.

Petitions - UK Government and Parliament
Jan 15 at 8:21amWeb
Show threadPrincess Serena Star ✨Jan 15
@syhr question, is there anything stopping me from saying I'm british and putting in some random british postcode
Show threadAlexia Jan 15
@Starcross @syhr data is checked against a registry of citizens AFAIK
Show threadPrincess Serena Star ✨Jan 15
@syhr @alexia I see. Thanks for your insight :)
Show threadBen HutchingsJan 15

@alexia @Starcross @syhr So far as I know there is no such register in the UK. We have a whole lot of different incomplete and inconsistent databases for the NHS, births and deaths, naturalisation, passports, residence for council tax purposes, etc. Each of those either includes some non-citizens or excludes some citizens.

Besides which, the petition site is supposed to be open to both citizens and residents.

Show threadJenJan 15
@Starcross @syhr yes.

It's an official UK government petition site. They have access to the full electoral role. They routinely check large petitions against it and remove signatures that don't match.

So, I guess you could easily do that, but it's pretty pointless.
Show threadBen HutchingsJan 15
@jetlagjen @Starcross @syhr What makes you think they check against the electoral roll? Petitions are supposedly open to all UK residents, not only those who can vote
Show threadzbrownJan 18

@bwh @jetlagjen @Starcross @syhr tbf those are somewhat close to the same thing, ‘can vote’ is not a simple bool flag, and the rolls include plenty of people who can only vote in some elections, or indeed none.

Hence you can't generally use electoral registration in things like Right To Work contexts, it doesn't in and of itself demonstrate a whole lot of anything outside of some nebulous idea you might exist.

Show threadzbrownJan 18

@bwh @jetlagjen @Starcross @syhr I'd imagine that's just one data source they use though.

The bigger question is: …why bother that hard? I'm not saying people shouldn't sign it, but also let's not kid ourselves: This isn't at all binding, it almost certainly won't get considered by the full house, and even if it was there are absolutely zero viable routes to pass that legislation.

Show threadSebastian Crane 🏳️‍⚧️Jan 15
@Starcross @syhr Yes, it'll be cross-referenced against the Electoral Register. I don't imagine you'd be likely to fool them, to be honest.
Show threadAngela MillerJan 15
@syhr
Signed and shared.
#mastodon #fediverse #enbi
Show threadRhys 🦊Jan 15
@Alternatecelt 💚
Show threadNormanDunbarJan 15
@syhr Singed!
Show threadRhys 🦊Jan 15
@NormanDunbar 💚
Show threadNormanDunbarJan 15
@syhr Welcome.
Show threadSmiling HereticJan 15
@syhr @NormanDunbar Done!
Show threadRhys 🦊Jan 15
@smilingheretic @NormanDunbar 💚
Show threadTimJan 15
@syhr signed and shared elsewhere as well as boosted here
Show threadRhys 🦊Jan 15
@radioclash 💚
Show threadBadger BenJan 15
@syhr No longer live in the UK otherwise I'd sign it, but definitely sharing it!
Show threadRhys 🦊Jan 15
@DastardlyBadger 💚
Show threadsunflowerinrainJan 15

@syhr

I support this, and not just for non-binary. I'm cis-female and have long resented being forced to announce it in circumstances where my gender should be irrelevant.

Show threadRhys 🦊Jan 15
@sunflowerinrain Completely agree. My preferred option would be to scrap gender markers on passports. But the legal protections are still important.
Show threadCharles ☭  is a GreenJan 15

@syhr @sunflowerinrain

So, unfortunately, there's a treaty for passport standardisation which requires gender information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine-readable_passport

Getting an X in the UK is easier than changing the treaty is easier than getting rid of borders.

Machine-readable passport - Wikipedia

Show threadRhys 🦊Jan 15
@celesteh @sunflowerinrain Good to know!
Show threadМя ��Jan 15

@celesteh technically, all listed formats support «unspecified» option for gender, either X or filler character <...

@syhr @sunflowerinrain

Show threadSebastian Crane 🏳️‍⚧️Jan 15
@sunflowerinrain @syhr Unfortunately the only mechanism that the UK has currently for changing the gender marker on a passport involves the holder of said passport obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). It's already hard enough for trans people to get a GRC, so I don't think it'll be possible for cis people to change their gender marker any time soon. The GRC process is also very invasive so there's little chance a cis person would be willing to lie in order to get one, IMHO.