The State Department announced new policy guidelines Wednesday for U.S. passport applicants to better select the gender they identify as on travel documents. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the expansion as a step toward ensuring the fair treatment of LGBTQ+ citizens.
Beginning today, passport seekers can self-identify as male or female when selecting a gender on the application for a passport. Applicants no longer need to submit medical certification if that gender does not match their other identification.
Beyond that, the Department of State said it is considering how to add a gender marker for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons. The process, it said, is technologically complex and will take time to reflect throughout all computer systems. The department did not provide a timeline.
Lambda Legal, a gay civil rights group, said at least 10 other countries offer passport gender markers other than “M” (male) or “F” (female) and suggested the United States follow the international precedent of using “X” as a third option.
“Our continued engagement with the LGBTQI+ community … will inform our approach and positions moving forward,” Secretary Blinken said in a statement.
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Last year, a U.S. appeals court ordered the State Department to reevaluate its gender selection policies after a nonbinary U.S. Navy veteran, represented by Lamda Legal, sued to get a “passport that accurately reflected their gender.”
“While the lack of a date certain is disappointing, the change represents a victory,” Lambda Legal said in a statement.
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