Person Wins Ruling To Become The First Gender Neutral Person In The USA

After the devastating shootings at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, it's been a gut-wrenching time for queer America.

However, there has recently been a tiny bright light at the tunnel, some positive news in the face of the darkness. Jamie Shupe, a 52-year-old army veteran from Oregon, has won a ruling to become the first gender neutral person in the US.

"I'm a mixture of both. I consider myself as a third sex," says Shupe, a transgender person born male, but with a feminine gender identity. A trailblazer for non-binary people across the world, Shupe decided it was time to take legal action.

So this past April, Shupe, alongside lawyer Lake Perriguey, filed a petition with the court system in Oregon to legally change Shupe's sex. Shupe felt strongly about not conforming to one gender, as Shupe feels distinctly female, but is adamant about honoring their male biology.

My gender identity has never been male, but I feel like I have to own up to my male biology. Being non-binary allows me to do that. I'm a mixture of both.

Shupe began transitioning in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, specifically choosing the name "Jamie" because of its gender neutrality.

Judge Amy Holmes Hehn, of Multnomah County Circuit Court, said,

The sexual reassignment has been completed. No person has shown cause why the requested General Judgment should not be granted.

Jamie Shupe's victory is a victory for genderqueer people everywhere. To have a person in America, who is recognized legally as genderless, gives hope to all non-binary people that they too can be respected and seen by the government for who they truly are.

It's affirming and empowering to be recognized by your country for your true identity and Jamie Shupe's win is a win for people everywhere who refuse to conform to society's stifling gender labels.

The co-executive director for Basic Rights Oregon, Nancy Hague, called this ruling a "momentous day for genderqueer Oregonians."

She told Oregon Live,

It's really exciting for the courts to actually recognize what we know to be true: gender is a spectrum. Some people don't identify as male or female.

Hopefully Jamie Shupe's story will soon just be one of many victories for genderqueer people in the US.

Citations: Person wins ruling to become first genderless person in US Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2016/06/16/person-wins-ruling-to-become-first-genderless-person-in-us-5949965/#ixzz4BqgH64vv (Metro)