Over the years, the LGBTQ community has seen a lot of change, from people’s opinions to government movements. Amerca has legalized gay marriage, which has affected many people’s lives. More recently, Colorado has passed a law allowing “X” to be included in the gender options on the Colorado driver’s license in order to widen the gender classification.

When people think of gender, many generally go to the simple answer of male or female. Many people are far less educated about the topic of being non-binary, which is an individual who does not identify as male or female.

This law is intended to help these members of our community to feel more welcome and to give them more options to legally identify as themselves.

When this law was passed it was intended to give opportunities to non-binary individuals, as well as transgender, but after talking to an LGBTQ ally Mrs. Carianne Adams we can see why this could be a weak compromise.  

“As it validates non-binary people, it is used as a substitute for transgender members. It’s boxing them into this category when they want to be identified as the gender they identify by,” Adams says.

Although this opens doors for many people in the LGBTQ community, there is still a long way to go legally and as a community. Ni Kim, senior, who identifies in the non-binary spectrum speaks about what the future might hold for the LGBTQ community through the government’s actions.

“I am both happy and terrified. Happy because change is happening and it is. But terrified, for what others may think, not for me but of these decisions. What will they do?”

Colorado is the fifth state to enact this law, and Ni Kim says, “There is still a long-term goal to get this passed throughout the USA. It’s a step towards the right towards the right direction.”