V The United States has issued the first passport with an “X” in the gender column, the State Department announced today, the Associated Press reported. It is planned that from next year this neutral gender option will be provided to all those who apply for the travel document.
“This is a turning point in the recognition of human rights,
who do not want to be identified as a woman or a man, and this choice is expected to be more widely offered from next year, “the ministry added.
“We look forward to offering this option to all passport applicants once we complete the necessary updates to the system and forms in early 2022,” department spokesman Ned Price said in a press release.
In addition to passports, the “X” marker will be available in all consular birth reports abroad (CRBA) – a move that is likely to allow parents to choose a gender-neutral designation for newborns, the official added.
According to the announcement, the marker will be applied to non-binary, intersex and unidentified persons applying for a US passport or CRBA.
The notice of the department does not name the recipient of the first passport,
but an intersex person named Dana Zim from the state of Colorado, who has been suing for this right since 2015, said she had received such a passport. Zim said his fight for such a passport was a way to help future generations of intersex people be recognized as full-fledged citizens with rights.
“I’m not a problem. I’m a human being. That’s what’s important,” Dana Zim said.
A State Department official declined to confirm whether the passport had been issued to Dana Zim, citing personal data protection.
