U.S. Passports to Include ‘X’ Gender Option Staring in April
statement by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.Blinken made the announcement Thursday on Trans Visibility Day. In June 2021, Blinken said the department would begin the process of offering the option.“The Department is setting a precedent as the first federal government agency to offer the X gender marker on an identity document,” Blinken said in the announcement. “We reaffirm our commitment to promoting and protecting the freedom, dignity, and equality of all persons – including transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming persons around the world.” Other countries that allow a third gender option include Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, India, Malta, Nepal, New Zealand, and Pakistan.
Blinken said the State Department had consulted partner countries in developing the option.The department also worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics to conduct qualitative research on how to define the gender marker.
