The measure follows Joe Biden’s promises to better take into account the rights of sexual minorities. The United States announced, Wednesday, October 27, to have issued the first passport with the gender “X” to a person who does not recognize himself in the traditional choices “Masculine” Where ” feminine “.
The US State Department has “Added an X box for non-binary, intersex people” and more broadly those who do not identify with the gender criteria proposed so far, announced its spokesperson, Ned Price. This option will be offered to all passport applicants from early 2022, he said, reaffirming the commitment of US diplomacy to “Promote the freedom, dignity and equality of all persons”.
At least eleven other countries, including Canada, Germany, Argentina, India and Pakistan, offer a choice “X” Where ” other “ in their passports, according to the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion, headquartered in London.
End of medical certificate
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken had already relaxed the rules in June by allowing American citizens to choose their gender on their passports themselves. Previously, people who wanted to register a different kind than their birth certificate had to provide a medical certificate.
Mr. Biden has made defending the rights of sexual minorities around the world a priority, more than any other president of the United States before him and at odds with his predecessor, Donald Trump.
When he was Secretary of State, between 2018 and 2021, Mike Pompeo had notably prohibited American embassies from displaying the rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBT community (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans).