Tom Perez, chair of the DNC, welcomed the news | Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) adopted new language into their charter to be more inclusive of non-binary people. They also now allow for gender self-identification.
Committee members changed the rules during their meeting in Chicago, Illinois this Saturday (25 August). It concerns the charter requirement that al the Democrats’ committees and bodies are divided equally between men and women.
But the new language means that non-binary people do not have to be included in the male or female count. It also allows for self-identification.
Equal divide
The language now committees ‘shall be as equally divided as practicable between men and women (determined by gender self-identification) meaning that the variance between men and women in the group cannot exceed one (1).’
Meanwhile, gender non-binary members are not counted as male or female, so only the rest of the committee is equally divided.
DNC Chair Tom Perez spoke out on the wording.
‘At the root of our diverse party is a commitment to inclusion and opportunity,’ he told CNN.
‘By adopting this amendment, the Democratic National Committee is ensuring every Democrat feels welcome and embraced for who they are.
‘The action reaffirms our solidarity with the LGBTQ community and challenges governments, employers, and organizations across the country to do the same.’
Rising tide
This comes as the number of LGBTI people who are standing in elections for public office reached a record high in the States.
In 2018 so far, over 400 LGBTI candidates have stood for office in the USA, according to a study by The Victory Institute.
There are also a higher number of women and people of color running for office.
