FREE TO BE THEMSELVES

U.S. Passports to Offer ‘X’ Gender Marker Starting in April

“Every American deserves the freedom to be themselves,” the White House said in announcing the move.

U.S. citizens will be able to list their gender as “X” in passports starting on April 11, the State Department announced Thursday. In an announcement timed to coincide with the Transgender Day of Visibility, the State Department said the marker will be used to indicate “unspecified or another gender identity.” The marker will be made available on other official documents starting next year. “Every American deserves the freedom to be themselves,” the White House said in announcing the move. “But far too many transgender Americans still face systemic barriers, discrimination, and acts of violence.” The Department of Homeland Security also announced that the TSA Pre-Check program would be updated to include the X gender marker, and that TSA checkpoints would be converting their setups to gender-neutral scanners.