Skift Take
Countries like the U.S. issuing passports with a new gender marker is a powerful acknowledgment that people who don't identify as male or female are becoming more prominent in the world.
The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that it issued the first U.S. passport with an X gender marker, which will provide non-binary, intersex and gender non-comforming people the opportunity to select a gender other than male or female on their official travel document.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in June that the X marker would be listed as an option on passports. The U.S. follows the lead of countries such as Canada, Germany, Australia and India that already allow its citizens to choose a third gender on official documents.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price did not disclose whom the first X gender passport was issued to. But he added that the department would provide U.S. citizens the option of selecting an X gender marker on passports or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad once it completes system and form updates early next year.
“I want to reiterate, on the occasion of this passport issuance, the Department of State’s commitment to promoting the freedom, dignity, and equality of all people — including LGBTQI+ persons,” Price said.
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Photo credit: The first U.S. passport has been isssued with an X gender marker. cytis / Pixabay