Boston will no longer require prospective spouses to register their sex or gender to marry

Couples filling out marriage certificates in Boston will no longer be required to identify their sex or gender. Officials say the policy adopted Tuesday is the first change the city has made since issuing new gender-awareness guidelines. The goal is to provide more dignity to people whose gender or sexual identities have historically gone unrecognized or unsupported by government agencies. Boston residents who are already married and want to update their licenses to omit sex or gender designations can do so by contacting the city registry.