Swiss government rejects 3rd gender option, at least for now

BERLIN (AP) — The Swiss government has rejected the idea of introducing a third gender option or no-gender option for official records. It’s a position which differs from that of some neighboring European countries. Responding to two proposals from parliament, the governing Federal Council said Wednesday that “the binary gender model is still strongly anchored in Swiss society.” It also said that “the social preconditions for the introduction of a third gender or for a general waiver of the gender entry in the civil registry currently are not there.” The government says providing such options would require “numerous” changes to the constitution and to laws both at the national level and in the country’s 26 cantons (states).