United States issues its 1st passport with 'X' gender marker

Source: Associated Press

United States issues its 1st passport with ‘X’ gender marker

By COLLEEN SLEVIN
October 28, 2021

DENVER (AP) — The United States has issued its first passport with an “X” gender designation, marking a milestone in the recognition of the rights of people who do not identify as male or female, and expects to be able to offer the option more broadly next year, the State Department said Wednesday.

The department did not identify the passport recipient, but Dana Zzyym, an intersex activist from Fort Collins, Colorado, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that they received it. Since 2015, Zzyym, who prefers a gender-neutral pronoun, has been in a legal battle with the State Department to obtain a passport that did not require Zzyym to lie about gender by picking either male or female.

Zzyym (pronounced Zimm) picked up the UPS package with the passport after getting an early morning text and phone call from their lawyer, Paul Castillo of Lambda Legal, that it had arrived. Zzyym had stayed up late celebrating Intersex Awareness Day with two visiting activists.

While Zzyym, 63, said it was thrilling to finally get the passport, the goal was to help the next generation of intersex people win recognition as full citizens with rights, rather than travel the globe, Zzyym said.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/us-passports-x-gender-designation-2c29e18fc6566d549b9a06fda0857602


Dana Zzyym poses for a photo, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, in Fort Collins, Colo. Zzyym, who prefers a gender-neutral pronoun, told the Associated Press that their passport is the first U.S. passport to be issued with an "X" gender designation, marking a milestone in the recognition of the rights of people who do not identify as male or female. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)