Yesterday, in a Santa Cruz California courtroom, Sara Kelly Keenan became the second U.S. citizen—and the first California resident—to legally change her gender from female to “non-binary.” Keenan, a retired paralegal, was inspired to petition the court for a gender change to “nonbinary” by Jamie Shupe’s similar victory in Oregon this past June.

We thank and salute Sara Keenan for taking this pioneering step for intersex, trans and noxnbinary people to be able to be legally recognized as who we are, and judge Robert B. Atack, who signed off on the gender change. “I’m 55 years old, this doesn’t really change my life very much,” Keenan told NBC OUT. “But I want to leave the world a better place for younger intersex people. This represents a huge opportunity for acceptance and awareness for young non-binary and intersex and trans people—and for their parents.”