President Biden has given the green signal for US passports to include ‘non-binary’ as a third gender for Americans.
Therefore, this means citizens of the country can now select between male, female, and category X which represents the non-binary group. This news was definitely a long time coming for the LGBTQ community who celebrated the Biden adminstration’s decision with full force.
Moreover, critics explain how this new decision means applicants can now self-identify themselves instead of giving out medical certificates to prove their identities.
The new rules and regulations regarding the US passport directives were announced by the State Department on Wednesday, sending shockwaves around the country. Citizens applying for a passport will be given the freedom to choose between the male, female, and ‘X’ gender options, adding America to the growing list of nations that already have the ‘X’ category.
On the other hand, officials also confirmed how the rule for a gender change on American passports can be obtained without the need and hassle of providing any form of medical certification.
Many members of the LGBTQ community celebrated the news as a major step forward and a victory for all those applicants that don’t identify themselves as males and females. Hence, that means it includes all intersex as well as non-binary American citizens.
Other countries that already have introduced this option include Germany, Canada, India, and Australia too.
Officials have still not confirmed when the new option of the ‘X’ gender marker will be available as it was in the current process of observing the best measures that would go about achieving this very goal,
Antony Blinken who is the Secretary of State for the US mentioned how the action was evidence about how the US showed full support and commitment towards the LGBTQ community today and will continue to do so while moving forward.