The US State Department announced on Thursday that it will offer a third ‘X’ gender option on passports as of April 11. The passport change is one of a host of transgender-focused policies rolled out by the Biden administration.
Those availing of an ‘X’ passport will not have to provide any medical documentation to prove that they are neither male nor female, a press release from Secretary of State Antony Blinken explained. The statement added that the ‘X’ stands for those with “unspecified or another gender identity,” a definition that Blinken said “is respectful of individuals’ privacy while advancing inclusion.”
The US’ first gender-neutral passport was actually issued last October, three months after the State Department gave trans Americans the option of switching their gender on their passports without providing medical documents to prove their transition. At the time, the Biden administration promised to give “non-binary” people a third gender option in early 2022, a decision that was ridiculed online by conservatives.