First Non-Binary Birth Certificate Issued in Yucatán

Mérida, Yucatán — The Civil Registry of Mérida has issued the first birth certificate in Yucatán that legally recognizes a person’s non-binary identity, in this case for Betuel Cetina.

The beneficiary stated that this act represents a personal and collective achievement for a population that faces barriers in accessing procedures.

Betuel reported that the process was carried out through an amparo (constitutional protection) with legal accompaniment and lasted approximately six to eight months. They said that initially there was institutional uncertainty because non-binary identity does not appear in the Mérida civil registry systems, but the attention was adequate as the procedures progressed.

They highlighted that the issuance of this document represents a watershed for the non-binary population in Mérida, in particular, and in Yucatán, in general, by setting a precedent for future similar procedures.

They commented that following the initial refusal from the Civil Registry, a legal process was initiated that lasted between six and eight months, with the accompaniment of lawyer Edgar Moo Montalvo. “Having official documents that match my identity facilitates the completion of legal and administrative procedures,” emphasized Betuel Cetina.

For his part, Moo Montalvo indicated that the case was handled as strategic litigation in defense of the human rights of the LGBT+ population. He specified that the ruling from the Federal Judicial Power allowed ordering the Civil Registry to issue the corresponding birth certificate.

However, he noted that this recognition is not yet part of a regular administrative procedure, but nonetheless establishes a legal watershed in Yucatán and opens the possibility for more people to access this right through the judicial route.

The resolution establishes that the right to gender identity is part of the free development of personality and human dignity, and that it cannot be limited to binary categories, even when there is no specific regulation, concluded litigator Moo Montalvo.

Non-binary registration refers to the legal recognition of a gender identity that is not exclusively male or female, marking sex with an “X” on official documents such as the INE (National Electoral Institute card) and passports in Mexico, allowing even the obtaining of non-binary birth certificates in places like Mexico City—and now in Yucatán—facilitating procedures and the exercise of the right to self-perceived gender identity.