U.S. citizens will have the option to choose an X as their gender identification on their U.S. passport application starting April 11, 2022. The Department of State says rolling out the option for “nonbinary, intersex, and gender nonconforming individuals” is an “important step to recognize gender diversity.” With additional technological updates, the option to select X will become available on other forms of documentation in late 2023, including passport cards, emergency passports printed at embassies and consulates, expedited and emergency passports issued at passport agencies and centers, and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBAs).
The announcement comes as The White House honored Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, which acknowledged “the generations of struggle, activism, and courage that have brought our country closer to full equality for transgender and gender nonbinary people in the United States and around the world.” In an official statement, President Joe Biden called attention to the disproportionate rates of violence, discrimination, and harassment experienced by transgender people in the U.S., as well as systemic challenges related to housing, homelessness, employment, and health care. “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to fulfilling the promise of America for all Americans by stamping out discrimination and delivering freedom and equality for all,” President Biden said.
On the same day, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also announced new measures “to better serve all Americans regardless of their gender identity,” including technology updates, process changes, and expanded partnerships so screening procedures can be carried out in a more respectful and dignified manner. “DHS is committed to protecting the traveling public while ensuring that everyone, regardless of gender identity, is treated with respect,” said Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. Some of the new DHS changes will include updates to the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Advanced Imaging Technology scanners, with the aim of reducing the number of pat-downs needed during security screening while traveling. The TSA will also streamline its identity validation process so that when a traveler’s identification is processed at airport security, there should be no delays caused by a “mismatch” in gender information on the boarding pass and with other forms of identification like a driver’s license.
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“The Department is setting a precedent as the first federal government agency to offer the ‘X’ gender marker on an identity document,” the Department of State said in a statement. Officials first announced the news in June 2021, but since this time research has been carried out to determine how the gender marker would be defined. “We have 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, interviewing a demographically diverse group of individuals, including many members of the LGBTQI+ community,” the statement continues. In order to be inclusive and also mindful of individuals’ privacy, the definition of X was set to be: “Unspecified or another gender identity.”
If you would like to apply for a U.S. passport using the X gender option, you can find more details on the Department of State’s website. The gender you choose on the form does not require medical documentation and does not need to correspond with the gender on your supporting documentation, such as your birth certificate, old passport, or state identification.
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Source: SELF
