Story highlights Oregon was the first state to let people mark their gender as "not specified"

The law will go into effect in January 2019

Washington (CNN) California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill that will allow state residents who do not identify as male or female to have a third option on driver's licenses and birth certificates.

The bill, SB179, makes California the first state in the country to offer the nonbinary option for people who want their documents to match their gender identity. While most recent bills that Brown, a Democrat, signed will go into effect January 1, 2018, this bill will take effect a year later.

"Nonbinary" is the umbrella term for people who do not consider themselves either female or male.

The law also will allow people to be able to change their gender identity on their birth certificates.

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