This is supposedly about being more inclusive but it’s little more than a virtue signal.
The Boston Globe reports:
Boston no longer requiring gender or sexual identity on marriage licensesMayor Michelle Wu’s administration said Tuesday that Boston is no longer requiring people to specify their gender or sexual identity on marriage licenses, as part of a slate of new “gender-aware guidelines” to make the city more inclusive.In a statement, Wu’s office said the marriage license policy is the first change being implemented as part of the guidelines.The guidelines, officials said, will support city employees who design and operate services to provide more dignified experiences for all residents, including those whose gender and sexual identities have historically gone unrecognized by government agencies.The initiative was led by the city’s Department of Innovation and Technology, the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement, and the city’s Registry Department, according to the statement.Officials said seeking Bostonians seeking an updated marriage license without sex or gender identification specified can contact the city registry.“Our fundamental charge in public service is ensuring that our services and opportunities reach everyone, and that starts with affirming and supporting constituents of all identities,” Wu said in the statement.The mayor said Boston “must continue to work to dismantle the historic inequities and injustices that persist. This update to Boston marriage licenses is a huge step in building a City that is truly inclusive, and I’m excited to see how these critical changes for accessibility at City Hall serve Bostonians.”In addition, the statement said, the city has created a set of standards and guidelines to help municipal workers determine when and how they should collect gender identity information.The guidelines have four goals: defining key terms city staffers should understand regarding gender identity, helping departments determine when it’s necessary to ask constituents about gender identity; providing standard language departments should use when making such inquiries; and aligning guidelines with state, federal, or other data systems that limit how such information is reported, the statement said.
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