Austrian court OKs 3rd gender identity in records

BERLIN – Austria’s constitutional Court has ruled that authorities must allow people to be entered in official records as something other than male or female if they so wish.

The court announced its verdict Friday after examining the case of a person who unsuccessfully sought to have their entry changed to “inter” or a similar word.

It found no need to change the existing law, since it does not explicitly specify that people’s gender must be male or female. However, it left open what other word could be used, citing possibilities such as “inter” or “open.”

In neighbouring Germany, the highest court ruled in November that people must be allowed to appear in official records as neither male nor female. It said authorities should create a third identity or scrap gender entries altogether.