The US government has added a third version of the article to its passport. This way, American travelers can now choose any gender they would like to display in their passports. The State Department announced this on June 30, which was also the last day of Pride Month.
The decision was made to make it easier for transgender and non-binary people to travel. Under the new government policy, travelers will no longer need to provide a medical certificate to change their gender marker. Holders of passports without a gender marker can now request a new passport, and new applicants will be able to choose their marker when applying.
The State Department also said they are working on a gender marker for non-binary, intersex and others.
The State Department stressed: “The process of adding a gender marker for non-binary, intersex and gender incompatible persons to these documents is complex and time consuming.”
Mary Emily O’Hara, a spokeswoman for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), told the New York Times, “Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll break the law,” because in most cases they find it very confusing. They have state identity cards that do not correspond to the passport.
In this regard, the US State Department also decided to take a step and indicate that the sex in the passport of the traveler does not necessarily have to coincide with other documents.