West Virginia advances bill to establish male or female as birth certificate categories

Last Friday, the West Virginia House passed House Bill 4233, which would prohibit the use of nonbinary as a description of a child’s sex on birth certificates issued in the state. The bill will go to the state Senate to be considered. The West Virginia House of Delegates has also been considering another bill, House Bill 5243—or a “Women’s Bill of Rights”—that would also prevent men identifying as women from accessing women’s restrooms and changing rooms.

Do other states have similar legislation? In April 2022, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law explicitly banning the selection of a third gender on birth certificates issued in the state. Meanwhile, there are more than a dozen states where citizens can select a third option for their child’s gender, including California, Colorado, and the District of Columbia.

Dig deeper: Read Steve West’s report in WORLD Roundups about how Ohio parents are challenging schools’ preferred pronouns rules.