Austria recognises third gender option for the first time

It's a historic win for the Austrian intersex community.

Alex Jürgen

42-year old Alex Jürgen received his new documents on May 14th. Source: Twitter

An intersex activist in Austria has won his fight to receive non-binary documents featuring a third gender option, becoming the first to do so in the country.

42-year old Alex Jürgen's new passport features “X” as the gender identifier, with their birth certificate using the German term “divers,” which means “miscellaneous” or “other".

While it's a historic win for the Austrian intersex community, Jürgen will soon return to court, fighting to have the term "inter" marked on their birth certificate.
Lawyer Dr Helmut Graupner, who advised Jürgen during his legal battle and is a leading advocate in LGBTIQ+ European rights, said: “We are delighted at the historic issuance of the first documents certifying a third gender."

Gabriele Rothuber, Intersex Representative of HOSI Salzburg, said Jürgen's documents represented a significant step forward for Intersex people in Austria: “We are very pleased for Alex Jürgen, who revolutionised Austrian vital records with his lawyer Dr. Graupner.”

Tinou Ponzer, from the Association of Intersex People Austria, added in a statement: “We say thank you and heartfelt congratulations to our courageous role model and fellow activist!”

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By Samuel Leighton-Dore


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