Citizens of the United States can now choose a gender-neutral “X” on their passports.
According to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and interACT and intersex advocacy group, approximately 1.2 million and four million people in the United States are nonbinary and intersex, respectively.
Many people are unable to obtain official identification that reflects this because of state laws; for example, 14 states require proof of genital surgery to update the gender marker on a birth certificate.
‘Important step’
According to NBC, US special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights Jessica Stern stated that adding an X gender marker to US passports beginning Monday is a “momentous step.”
“The addition of a third gender marker propels the United States forward in ensuring that our administrative systems account for the diversity of gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics among US citizens,” she explained.
“The addition of X gender markers to US passports does not result in the creation of new definitions or rights. This policy change recognizes the passport holder’s true identity.”
In June, the State Department announced that US citizens would be able to select their gender on applications without submitting medical documentation.
It issued the first American passport with an “X” gender marker in October, giving nonbinary, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people a choice other than male or female on their travel document.
The move was one of several announced by the Biden administration last month to support transgender Americans in the face of several state laws that target them.
Alabama’s Republican governor, for example, signed a bill into law on Friday that criminalizes gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth.
The bill makes it a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison to provide medical care such as hormone treatment, puberty blockers, and surgery to help a minor’s physical characteristics align with his or her gender identity.
In the United Kingdom, the Supreme Court rejected the idea of gender-neutral passports in December, stating that “X” gender markers would undermine a legal system based on a clear male-female divide.