Santiago, Oct 15 (AP) Shane Cienfuegos has become the first person in Chile's history to receive a non-binary national identity document.

Cienfuegos, 29, who heads social intervention activities for the Trans Diversity Organisation of Chile, obtained the document on Friday, after a nine-year bureaucratic and legal battle.

Also Read | Disturbing Video: Pakistan in Shock After Scores of Rotting Bodies Found on Multan Hospital's Roof.

"This isn't my victory; it's a collective victory," Cinefuegos told reporters in showing off the identity card, which has an "X" next to the sex entry rather than male or female.

Argentina was the first country in Latin America to recognise non-binary people in legal documents in July 2021. Mexico and Colombia followed, but like Chile, they give such recognition only to people who win a court ruling.

Also Read | Yemen: 10 Child Leukemia Patients Killed After Administration of Expired Doses of Cancer Treatment Drug.

Around the world, several countries recognise non-binary people in identity documents, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. US citizens have been able to select "X" as their gender marker on passports since April.

Lorena Lorca, Cinefuegos' lawyer, said this marked the first case in Chile of someone receiving a document with the letter "X" in a country that does not legally recognise non-binary people. Lorca said there are 60 similar cases in Chile, of which seven have received favourable sentences.

Cienfuegos said no one should have to wait such a long time "to receive legal recognition of something that you are." (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)