Effective immediately, you may select the gender to which you identify when applying for your passport — and medical certification or a letter from a physician is no longer required to do so — even if the gender you select does not match the gender on your birth certificate, previous passport, official identification which was issued by your state, or other citizenship or identity documents.
You Can Now Change Your Gender On Your Passport — And You Will Be Able to Select From a Third Gender
In its commitment to human rights and “to promoting the freedom, dignity, and equality of all people” — which includes people who identify as Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex — the Department of State of the United States has updated its procedures to allow applicants of passports to “self-select” their genders of either male or female.
“I am pleased to announce that the Department will be taking further steps toward ensuring the fair treatment of LGBTQI+ U.S. citizens, regardless of their gender or sex, by beginning the process of updating our procedures for the issuance of U.S. Passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad”, according to this official press statement which was released on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 from Antony J. Blinken, who is the secretary of state of the United States. “The Department has begun moving towards adding a gender marker for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons applying for a passport or CRBA. We are evaluating the best approach to achieve this goal. The process of adding a gender marker for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons to these documents is technologically complex and will take time for extensive systems updates. The Department will also be working closely with its interagency partners to ensure as smooth a travel experience as possible for the passport holder.”
To request a new passport with a different gender than the one you have on your current passport — or if you are applying for your first passport — simply submit a new application and select your preferred gender marker. Follow the steps to learn which form to submit. You can select either “M” or “F”, which are the gender markers currently available, as a gender marker for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons will eventually be added as soon as possible. The exact date as to when that gender marker will be added is unknown at the time this article was written.
“In line with the Administration’s commitment to re-engage with allies and partners, the Department is taking these steps after considerable consultation with like-minded governments who have undertaken similar changes”, according to the aforementioned statement. “We also value our continued engagement with the LGBTQI+ community, which will inform our approach and positions moving forward. With this action, I express our enduring commitment to the LGBTQI+ community today and moving forward.”
According to this official press release from the American Civil Liberties Union, “Many transgender and non-binary people are unable to obtain identification that accurately reflects their gender, putting them at risk of harassment, discrimination, and even violence. President Biden must affirm that we have a right to accurate IDs to travel, apply for jobs and enter public places,” said LaLa Zannell who is the trans justice campaign manager of the American Civil Liberties Union. “We are grateful the president ended the transgender service ban and signed an executive order protecting LGBTQ people from workplace and school discrimination. Now, it’s time to go further than undoing the wrongs of the prior administration. Transgender and non-binary people need IDs that reflect who we are without having to access costly and intrusive medical documentation.”
Countries around the world which already have an option to choose a third gender on passports include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, India, Malta, Nepal, New Zealand, and Pakistan — with M, F, and X as the most common options.
Summary
These changes are part of a global effort to include people who do not identify themselves as the gender with which they were born.
Commercial airlines have been striving to ensuring greater inclusiveness to their customers and employees in recent years; and adding gender choices is not the only action on which they have embarked. For example, an announcement from Alaska Airlines pledged that the airline will hire more black female pilots by the year 2025.
Whenever I write an article here at The Gate and I do not definitively know the gender of the person about whom I am writing or to whom I am referring, I keep the article as gender-neutral as possible to respect the identity of the person.
I also believe in respecting the identity of any person — even to the point of ensuring that I spell or pronounce the name of the person properly — and not wanting to personally alienate anyone.
Other articles pertaining to striving for greater inclusiveness include:
- Lufthansa Group Latest Airline Company to Favor Gender Neutral Terms
- Do You Speak Germxn? Do We Really Need Gender Neutral Names of Languages?
- Sex and the Airline: Gender Neutrality
- Airlines to Offer More Gender Choices
- Are You Avoiding Travel to North Carolina Because of the “Bathroom” Law?
All photographs ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
