US passport with ‘x gender marker’ to be made available
The US State Department is set to make passports with the ‘x gender marker’ available by April 11, Secretary Anthony Blinken recently announced.
Blinken said this was another milestone of the US State Department to “better serve all US citizens.”
X gender marker in passports
Last June 1, Blinken had also announced that US passport applicants could self-select their gender.
What’s more, he said that applicants aren’t required to submit any medical documentation if their selected gender differed from their citizenship or identity documents.
In his recent announcement, he said that US citizens can now select ‘x’ as their gender marker on their U.S. passport application.
“The Department is setting a precedent as the first federal government agency to offer the X gender marker on an identity document,” he noted.
This option will also become available for other forms of documentation next year, he said.
Another form that is set to have without medical documentation is the US Social Security cards starting this fall, according to the Social Security Administration.
The gender journey in US documents
The first gender-neutral American passport was issued last October to Dana Zzyym, an intersex US Navy veteran who identifies as non-binary.
Zzyym had filed a federal lawsuit in 2015 against the State Department after the latter denied their application for a passport with an “X” gender marker.
Blinken’s announcement is part of several measures made by the Biden administration to mark the “Transgender Day of Visibility.”
The White House said in a statement: “The administration once again condemns the proliferation of dangerous anti-transgender legislative attacks that have been introduced and passed in state legislatures around the country.”
“Every American deserves the freedom to be themselves. But far too many transgender Americans still face systemic barriers, discrimination, and acts of violence,” the White House said.
State Department does its research
While the US State Department had made their announcement last June of adding a third gender marker for “non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming individuals,” they have since then done their research.
In a statement, they said that “we have solicited public feedback through the notice and comment process we undertook to update our passport application forms.”
“We have also continued to consult with partner countries who have already taken this important step to recognize gender diversity on their passports,” they added.
They also worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics to conduct qualitative research on how to define an X gender marker.
This includes interviewing a demographically diverse group of individuals, including those of the LGBT community.