"It's just basic fairness, so that everyone is treated fairly and recognized by their government for who they are," Raimondo said at an event Wednesday afternoon. "We have heard about it from the community, the transgender community, the LGTBQ community."

Gov. Gina Raimondo wants Rhode Island to join a growing list of states offering a third, nonbinary gender option on driver's licenses and birth certificates, she said Wednesday.

The change would allow people to put an "X" in the gender field of licenses and birth certificates, where currently they can only put "M" for male or "F" for female.

"It's just basic fairness, so that everyone is treated fairly and recognized by their government for who they are," Raimondo said at an event Wednesday afternoon. "We have heard about it from the community, the transgender community, the LGTBQ community."

The Division of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Health are exploring what procedural and technical changes will be necessary to allow the third-gender option.

Raimondo spokesman Josh Block said the move does not require any statutory change or General Assembly approval, but will likely take some computer programming work, particularly with the recently overhauled DMV system.

State Department of Administration spokeswoman Brenna McCabe said the federal Real ID Law requires states to include gender on official identification documents, but allows the states to define what gender means.

"I don't think it will be difficult," Raimondo said. "It is an implementation issue: every license and birth certificate. I don't think it will cost money."

As for when people will be able to put "X" on these officials documents, Raimondo said, "realistically, within the next year."

Members of the Rhode Island transgender community who are pushing for a gender-neutral license option greeted the announcement favorably Wednesday, even if the change is taking longer than they had hoped.

"We have been in conversations [with the Raimondo administration] for a while, and there has not been a clear statement on how long it would take to happen," said Ethan Huckel, president of TGI Network of Rhode Island, which describes itself as the state's only trans-led organization working on behalf of the trans community.

"Now that the governor has made a statement saying she supports it, that is good," Huckel added. "There could have been a more definitive timeline, but it could have been worse. It is good that she heard the community and reiterated support."

A dozen states, including Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, allow a gender-neutral option on their driver's licenses, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality. Others allow it for birth certificates.

Why is an "X" gender option needed?

"There is a psychological trauma that comes from having to present an ID that doesn't reflect your identity," Huckel said. "Presenting an ID that doesn't comply with your reality is really discomforting; to some people it is discomforting to a degree that they would avoid going somewhere they had to present it entirely."