The State Department will begin issuing U.S. “X” Gender Indicator passports. To better visualize non -binary, intersex and gender incompatibility among Americans, the agency said Thursday.
The option announced on Transgender Visibility Day will take effect on April 11. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the change will “serve better all U.S. citizens, regardless of their gender identity.”
“We continue to work closely with our federal government partners to ensure a smooth travel experience for all passport holders, regardless of their gender identity,” he said in a statement on Thursday. . “We reaffirm our commitment to promote and protect the freedom, dignity and equality of all people, including transgender, non-transgender and gender neutral individuals around the world.
U.S. citizens will be able to select the X as the gender indicator in the U.S. Passport Book beginning April 11. When we celebrate Transgender Visibility Day, we celebrate this historic moment @Department of State As an important step towards LGBTQI + inclusion. #TDOV
– Secretary Anthony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 31, 2022
On Transgender Visibility Day, we recognize the achievements and resilience of transgender, non-binary and gender-neutral individuals around the world. We constantly strive to ensure their ability to live truly, safely and with dignity. #TDOV
– Secretary Anthony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 31, 2022
The move follows the agency’s decision in June to allow Americans to choose their gender without submitting medical records on passport applications. The Department of Homeland Security also said Thursday. It is improving the size of its screening AND it has updated its TSA PreCheck program to better serve travelers, saying it will allow screening “in a way that respects the dignity of every person.”
“The new measures announced today are part of the government’s entire effort to promote equality and engagement in all of our programs and processes,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mallorcas said in a statement.
The State Department issued the first passport marked “X” gender in October. Lambda Legal later confirmed that he had released Dana Zim, an Intersex Colorado resident who sued the agency in 2015 after refusing to release a flagged document. NBC News reported.
“I almost burst into tears when I opened the envelope, picked up my new passport and saw that the‘ X ’was boldly printed under‘ Sex ’,” Zim said at the time.
Source: Huffpost
