More than 200 people in Guanajuato, Mexico, have changed the gender listed on their birth certificates following a legal reform [1].
This shift provides legal recognition of gender identity for transgender and non-binary residents, reducing the administrative hurdles previously required to align official documents with lived identity.
The legal reform that enabled these changes was enacted in December 2024 [5]. Since that time, the region has seen a steady stream of applicants seeking to rectify their records. Data indicates that an average of 11 requests for gender-identity rectification are submitted per month [4].
The vast majority of applicants have opted for a binary transition between male and female. Specifically, 210 individuals have made this change [2].
A smaller number of residents have utilized the reform to seek recognition outside of the traditional binary system. Five people have requested non-binary recognition on their birth certificates [3].
These updates to the civil registry allow individuals to obtain legal documentation that reflects their identity without the previous legal barriers. The process has become a standardized administrative procedure in Guanajuato since the late 2024 legislative change [5].
“More than 200 people in Guanajuato have changed the gender listed on their birth certificates.”
The implementation of this reform reflects a broader trend in several Mexican states toward administrative degendering of identity documents. By allowing self-determination of gender on birth certificates, Guanajuato is moving away from medicalized requirements for legal transition, though the low number of non-binary requests suggests that binary identity remains the primary driver for legal updates in the region.
