The Biden administration will allow any American citizen to add an “X gender marker” to their U.S. passports starting April 11th, according to an announcement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The State Department is the first agency in the Biden administration to announce such a change to identification documents.
In a press statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the “X” represents “unspecified or another gender identity,” adding that the definition “is respectful of individuals’ privacy while advancing inclusion.”
No accompanying medical documentation will be required to change the identification. However, the agency warns on a separate webpage that “You may face entry restrictions in countries that do not recognize the X gender marker.”
The change is in keeping with Joe Biden‘s promise to promote “equity” and “inclusion” during his tenure in the White House.
In June of 2021, Biden signed a sweeping executive order for “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the federal workforce.”
The order mandated heads of federal agencies to “update Federal employee identification standards to include non-binary gender markers where gender markers are required in employee systems and profiles.” Another provision included “supportive services for transgender and gender non-conforming and non-binary employees who wish to legally, medically, or socially transition.”
The Department of Homeland Security announced on the same day that it would be phasing out “gender-based” advanced imaging technology used by the Transportation Security Administration and reduce pat downs and “invasive screening procedures” in private areas. The joint effort will push airlines to adopt “X gender markers” as well.
Joe Biden’s fiscal year budget for 2023 has also apportioned $10 million in “funding for additional critical research on how to best add questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.”
Only 15 other countries have approved the use of nonbinary genders on passports, including Germany, Denmark, and Canada.
The White House recognized “Transgender Day of Visibility” on March 31st, claiming that “transgender people are some of the bravest people in our nation” who “have faced significant barriers to traveling safely.”
