New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (pictured) signed the Babs Siperstein Bill into law last July

Parents in New Jersey will be able to register their child as gender-neutral from February 1.

New legislation will give parents the option of choosing a gender-neutral or non-binary identity on their child's birth certificate, in addition to male and female.

The change will make it easier for non-binary and transgender people to change their birth certificates to affirm their gender identity.

Problems can occur when a child’s birth gender doesn’t match their gender identity.

Though New Jersey has laws that require schools to treat students by their preferred gender, they still face discrimination, bullying and harassment.

Non-binary people don't identify as male or female, and having that option helps protect them from issues which might arise for them in later life.

Ashley Chiappano, who is with the group Garden State Equality, told News12 New Jersey: 'Just because your sex assigned at birth is one thing, it does not necessarily mean that it is something that's going to be consistent with your gender identity throughout your life.

'Sex is more like a label. When we’re talking about sex, this is assignment by a doctor.

'Gender identity goes even further to say that it’s how you feel on the inside and how you express yourself.

'It's how you express yourself through your clothing, your behavior, your personal appearance.'

Aaron Potenza (pictured) said people under 16 often come up against issues because they have to show their birth certificate

The new law is named after Edison resident Babs Siperstein, the first elected transgender member of the Democratic National Committee in 2012.

Aaron Potenza, policy director of Garden State Equality said people under 16 often come up against issues because they have to show their birth certificate.

The law will make it easier for non-binary and transgender people to change their birth certificates

New Jersey joins Oregon, California and Washington, which have all approved similar legislation. New York City also just changed birth certificates to be gender neutral.

The 'Babs Siperstein Law' requires the state Registrar of Vital Statistics to issue an amended birth certificate, upon submission of request, to a person born in the state which bears the transgender person’s name and sex.

Prior to this, an amended certificate of birth was only issued upon the receipt of a medical certificate from the applicant’s physician, indicating the person’s gender had been changed through sexual reassignment surgery.