Today the U.S. State Department announced it has issued the first passport that includes an “X” gender marker, making this an important move for individuals who do not identify as male or female.
The State Department expects the change to be ready for individuals to take advantage of their choice in gender identification sometime next year.
According to Jessica Stern, the United States’ special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights, the change is historic and exciting because now government documents will align with the “lived reality” that there is a wider spectrum of human sex characteristics than the previous two classifications.
“When a person obtains identity documents that reflect their true identity, they live with greater dignity and respect,” Stern said.
The department did not release the name of the individual to who the passport was issued. They refused to reveal if it was for Dana Zzyym, an intersex Colorado resident who has been fighting the agency in court since 2015.
According to court documents, Zzyym (pronounced Zimm) was denied a passport because he refused to check off male or female on the application. In a separate letter, Zzyym put “intersex” above the boxes designated “M” and “F” and demanded an “X” gender marker instead.
Court documents also note that Zzyym was born with ambiguous physical sexual traits but was raised as a boy and underwent various procedures which failed to make him appear totally male. While working and studying at Colorado State University, Zzyym served in the Navy as a male but later came to identify as intersex. Zzyym was unable to attend a meeting of Organization Intersex International in Mexico due to the department’s refusal of his passport.
In June, the State Department indicated that it was working on introducing a third gender marker for nonbinary, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people, but that it would take time due to major computer system modifications. The passport application and system update with the “X” designation option must still be approved by the Office of Management and Budget, said a department official.
Applicants can now self-select their gender as male or female, and they are no longer required to obtain medical confirmation if their gender does not match that on their other identifying documents.
The United States has joined a small group of countries that allow citizens to declare a gender other than male or female on their passports, including Australia, New Zealand, Nepal, and Canada.
Stern said her office planned to speak about the US’ experience with the change in its international dealings, in the hopes of inspiring other nations to do the same.
She said, “We see this as a way of affirming and uplifting the human rights of trans and intersex and gender-nonconforming and nonbinary people everywhere.”
