Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a major passport policy change: U.S. passport applicants will be able to select their gender without supplying the government any forms of certifying medical documents, according to Yahoo! News.
The announcement specifically notes that citizens and qualifying U.S. nationals "will now be able to select the gender they would like printed on their U.S. passports, even if the gender they select does not match the gender on their supporting documentation such as a birth certificate, previous passport or state ID."
The change comes amid a wave of sex and gender inclusivity reforms launched and supported by the Biden administration. The U.S. Army announced earlier in June it would front the cost for all gender transition therapies, hormone therapy, mental health treatments and any other related procedures for transgender soldiers.
However, according to Lambda Legal, the State Department noted it was unable to provide an exact timeline for when the "X" gender marker would be available.
While the lack of a date certain is disappointing, the change represents a victory for Lambda Legal plaintiff and intersex and nonbinary U.S. Navy veteran Dana Zzyym, who has waged a legal fight for more than six years to get an accurate U.S. passport.