Make non-binary a legally recognised gender identity in the UK
The Parliament petitions site records 140,768 signatures for this petition, which closed on 26 October 2021. The Government responded on 20 May 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 23 May 2022.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Make non-binary a legally recognised gender identity in the UK
Have non binary be included as an option under the GRP (Gender Recognition Panel)/ GRC (Gender Recognition Certificate), in order to allow those identifying as non binary to be legally seen as their true gender identity. As well as having ‘Non-binary’ be seen as a valid transgender identity.
There is no option of ‘Non-binary’ on legal forms, ignoring members of the population. This requires the government to pass a law that publicly recognises ‘Non-binary’ as a part of the GRP under the Gender Recognition Act, a.k.a a legal and valid gender identity option. By recognising Non-binary as a valid gender identity, it would aid in the protection of Non-binary individuals against transphobic hate crimes, and would ease Gender Dysphoria experienced by Non-binary people.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 20 May 2021; the petitions site lists the Cabinet Office as responsible. Its summary:
As set out in the response to the Gender Recognition Act consultation, there are no plans to make changes to the 2004 Act.
The response in full:
Following a considerable amount of consultation with the public and representative organisations, the Government decided that the current provisions within the GRA allow for those that wish to legally change their sex to do so fairly.
The 2018 GRA consultation did not bring forward any proposals to extend the GRA to provide legal recognition to a third, or non-binary, gender. The Government noted that there were complex practical consequences for other areas of the law, service provision and public life if provision were to be made for non-binary gender recognition in the GRA.
In UK law individuals are considered to be the sex that is registered on their birth certificate – either male or female. The GRA provides a means for transgender people to change the sex on their birth certificate, but there is currently no provision for those who do not identify as male or female.
This Government wants everybody in the UK to feel safe and confident to be themselves.
We are committed to tackling all forms of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crime, and are working with the Home Office on the cross-Government Hate Crime Action Plan. The Government has asked the Law Commission to review the current hate crime legislation, which includes exploring whether homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crime should be considered an aggravated offence. We will also take an assessment of local support for hate crime victims and improve reporting and recording of LGBT hate crimes through supporting additional police training.
Following Parliamentary approval on 8th October 2020, voluntary questions on sexual orientation and gender identity were included in the 2021 Census for England and Wales which took place on Sunday 21 March 2021. Final data on sexual orientation and gender identity from the 2021 Census for England and Wales will likely be available from 2023, with initial Census findings planned for publication in March 2022 (timelines subject to change as work progresses). This will help to provide more robust population size estimates for England and Wales than are currently available.
This Government is committed to supporting all LGBT people, tackling discrimination and improving the lives of all citizens.
Cabinet Office
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 1,131, came from Brighton, Pavilion.
138,868 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,900 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Brighton, Pavilion | 1,131 |
| Cities of London and Westminster | 1,110 |
| Bristol West | 876 |
| Liverpool, Riverside | 656 |
| Lewisham, Deptford | 647 |
| Manchester Central | 617 |
| Hove | 584 |
| Edinburgh East | 581 |
| Norwich South | 567 |
| York Central | 546 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 22,113 |
| London | 19,984 |
| South West | 13,636 |
| North West | 13,606 |
| Scotland | 12,589 |
| East of England | 12,518 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 10,263 |
| West Midlands | 9,119 |
| East Midlands | 8,620 |
| Wales | 5,661 |
| North East | 4,548 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,322 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 23 May 2022. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/580220.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
6f9cc6fe57700c9d… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.