Topline
U.S. citizens will be able to start checking the X gender marker while applying for passports from next month, the White House said Thursday, as part of a number of new measures the Biden administration is announcing on Transgender Day of Visibility.
Key Facts
U.S. citizens will be able to select an X as their gender marker on their passport applications starting April 11, the State Department said, adding the option will be available “for other forms of documentation” next year.
The State Department announced in June it would move toward adding an X gender marker on passports, and issued the first gender-neutral X passport in October.
Australia, New Zealand and Canada, among other countries, already issue passports with gender designations beyond male and female.
Oregon became the first state to offer gender neutral markers on state IDs and driver’s licenses without a doctor’s note in 2017, and more than 20 other states offer an X gender marker on state identification, according to LGBT Map.
California was the first state to offer a gender-neutral birth certificate in 2017, while Colorado was the first to offer an intersex birth certificate in 2018 —and 14 other states, and those born in New York City, have added a gender-neutral birth certificate option.
Tangent
The Department of Homeland Security is also taking measures to improve the travel experience for transgender travelers, including implementing enhanced screening technology to reduce “false alarm rates and pat downs,” according to the White House. The update will replace “the current, gender-based system with this more accurate technology,” and the TSA will separately update its procedures to remove gender considerations when validating a traveler’s ID at airport security checkpoints.
What To Watch For
Jeopardy! star Amy Schneider will visit Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff on Thursday, and Admiral Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, will also host a conversation with transgender kids and their parents at the White House.
Crucial Quote
“Transgender Americans continue to face discrimination, harassment, and barriers to opportunity,” President Joe Biden wrote in a proclamation. “In the past year, hundreds of anti-transgender bills in states were proposed across America, most of them targeting transgender kids. The onslaught has continued this year. These bills are wrong.”
Key Background
Texas is one of several states with policies that are targeting transgender youth. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a directive in February calling for the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to complete “prompt and thorough investigation[s]” into parents of children who have received gender-affirming medical care, after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote a legal opinion equating the treatment to “child abuse.” An appeals court ruled to block state officials from investigating and prosecuting parents earlier this month while the litigation continues. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt also signed a bill limiting transgender women and girls’ participation in sports on Wednesday—becoming the 13th state to pass a similar measure.
Surprising Fact
The State Department is the first federal government agency to offer the X gender designation on an identity document.
Further Reading
State Department Issues First Passport With 'X' Gender Designation (Forbes)
Trans travelers call for change in airports, TSA protocol (The Washington Post)
Can Texas Still Launch Transgender 'Child Abuse' Investigations? Appeals Court Clarifies It Can't (Forbes)
Oklahoma Becomes 13th State To Limit Sports Access For Transgender Students (Forbes)
