Gender 'X': U.S. offers a new identity option in passports

Citizens who identify as non-binary or intersex will be able to mark 'X' as their gender on their U.S. passport applications starting on Monday, regardless of the gender that appears on their birth certificates or other documents.

The measure, which was announced last June and is intended to "better serve all U.S. citizens, regardless of their gender identity," went into effect on April 11, according to the Department of State (DOS).

DOS offers transgender and non-binary individuals the ability to mark "X" as their gender on the travel document. This category is defined in passports as "non-specific, non-conforming, or other gender identity".

"You can choose male (M, for Male]), female (F, for Female), or an unspecified gender identity (X)," the State Department said in a statement released on March 31.

Medical certification is no longer required for applicants—a requirement that previously had to be met by those who had been assigned another gender at birth, the statement added.

In October 2021, the State Department began issuing the first such passport after an intersex person in Colorado won a court battle dating back to 2015.

At the time, the government denied a passport to Dana Zzyym, a citizen who had crossed out the M and F boxes and had written "intersex" on the application.

The State Department's refusal and ZZyym's refusal to travel with a passport specifying their birth gender prevented ZZyym from attending a congress in Mexico for intersex people. This prompted him to sue the Foreign Affairs branch of the Executive.

Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, announced in late June that the Administration was committed to the "freedom and dignity" of people in the LGTBI movement.

"Since taking office, President Biden has taken several executive actions that demonstrate this Administration's commitment to human rights and has directed agencies across the U.S. government to take concrete steps to promote and protect the human rights of LGBTQI+ people around the world," reads a statement released on June 30, 2021.

This new decision made by the Administration was applauded by the LGTBI community. "It's great news for all non-binary and intersex people. Basically, we've been given the right to have a passport," Dana Zzyym told NPR last June. "We don't have to lie to get the official document anymore. We can be ourselves."