Passports with 'X' gender marker to become available April 11
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced passports with an "X" gender marker will be available beginning Monday, April 11.Blinken last June announced the State Department will allow passport applicants to "self-select their gender as 'M' or 'F'"Dana Zzyym, an intersex U.S.
Navy veteran who identifies as nonbinary, in 2015 filed a federal lawsuit against the State Department after it denied their application for a passport with an "X" gender marker.
Zzyym This text will be the linklast October> received the first gender-neutral American passport.Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund represented Zzyym."When Dana Zzyym first embarked on their journey to get the country they fought for to recognize them as the person they truly are on their passport, they weren't just fighting for themselves, they were always fighting for all intersex, transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people," stated Avatara Smith-Carrington, staff attorney at Lambda Legal. "This moment is, in large part, the culmination of Dana and Lambda Legal's relentless activism, demanding the federal government recognize all people — regardless of the gender binary — as valid and worthy of recognition and respect.
I want to applaud the president and his administration for the thoughtful declaration of support for our community, but most importantly, I want to thank them for backing up their words with meaningful actions that will help so many.
