First U.S. Passport Issued with ‘X’ Gender Marker

The United States has issued its first passport with an “X” gender designation. It’s a huge milestone to recognize travelers who don’t identify as male or female. The U.S. State Department plans to offer the option more broadly next year.

But Jessica Stern, the U.S. special envoy for LGBTQ+ rights, called the moves historic and celebratory. “When a person obtains identity documents that reflect their true identity, they live with greater dignity and respect,” said Stern. 

There’s no word on who the passport was issued, and a department official declined to say whether it was Dana Zzyym, an intersex Colorado resident who was denied a passport for failing to check male or female on an application but requested an “X” gender marker instead in a separate letter.

According to Associated Press, Zzyym was born with ambiguous physical sexual characteristics but raised as a boy. Zzyym served in the Navy as a male, but would later identify as intersex, which made it difficult for them to travel to a work-related meeting of Organization Intersex International in Mexico.

In June, the State Department announced that it would be moving toward adding a third gender option for nonbinary, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people. Australia, New Zealand, and Canada are a few countries that already allow their citizens to designate a gender other than male or female on their passports.