Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) praised the U.S. Department of State for issuing the first U.S. passport with an ‘X’ gender designation, a major step towards allowing non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming citizens to obtain passports accurately reflecting their gender identity. The option, expected to be offered to routine passport applicants beginning in 2022, aligns with recommendations outlined in HRC’s 2020 Blueprint for Positive Change. JoDee Winterhof, Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs released the following statement regarding this milestone:

“Official documents that reflect an individual's true identity are essential to allowing them to lead dignified lives. The Human Rights Campaign commends the U.S Department of State for issuing the first U.S. Passport with a non-binary gender marker, a historic move that will mitigate the risk of discrimination, harassment and violence faced by millions of nonbinary, intersex, and gender non-conforming Americans who travel abroad. The United States must encourage other governments around the world to follow suit in adopting inclusive policies that recognize and affirm non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming people.”

HRC’s Blueprint for Positive Change can be found here.