Americans can now choose whichever gender they want on passports without providing medical documentation, the State Department announced Wednesday.
“You can now select the gender you would like printed on your U.S. passport, even if the gender you select does not match the gender on your supporting documentation such as a birth certificate, previous passport, or state ID,” the announcement said. “We no longer require medical certification to change the gender marker on your U.S. passport.”
“To request a new passport with a different gender than the one you have on your current passport, or if you are applying for your first passport, submit a new application and select your preferred gender marker,” it continued. “Follow the steps on this page to learn which form to submit. You can select ‘M’ or ‘F’ which are the gender markers currently available. We are working to add a gender marker for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons as soon as possible.”
The State Department is working on adding made-up gender markers too. The ACLU announced that Americans will be able to select “X” as a gender marker instead of “M” or “F.” They write that the move will be a victory for those who have sought “accurate” IDs, which have been hiding in plain sight throughout their search.
BREAKING: The Biden administration is announcing today plans to issue passports with an “X” gender marker without requiring medical documentation.
This is a victory for trans, non-binary and intersex people who have long sought accurate federal IDs.
— ACLU (@ACLU) June 30, 2021
The announcement comes after the White House slammed States attempting to protect women’s sports in an announcement supporting Pride Month. The statement said, “Some States have chosen to actively target transgender youth through discriminatory bills that defy our Nation’s values of inclusivity and freedom for all.”
The “actively target[ing] transgender youth through discriminatory bills” is actually just the passage of bills that bar biological men from competing in women’s sports, a stance that is bipartisan and popular. According to a Politico and Morning Consult poll, the majority of registered voters support a ban on biological men competing in women’s sports, including 40% of Democrats and 74% of Republicans, with only 1/3 of registered voters polled opposed.
