Dana Ziim, 63 years old, he was the first person in the United States to ask the country to issue him a passport The “X” in the gender box. Zzyym is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He considers himself a non-binary intersex person and therefore does not identify with women or men.
In 2015, the “X” on your travel document abroad was rejected for the first time. “We don’t have to lie to get passports. We must be ourselves“He said at the time.
Six years later, the US State Department announced on Wednesday that it would issue the first passport with gender X to Zzyym. Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement that he hopes to provide this option to all U.S. passport applicants. The broad form “early 2022”.
In an interview with CBS Television Network, Zzyym promised that he would receive his passport when he was “tired”, but believed that this “enhanced the sense of freedom in the United States because it makes citizens more free.”
Therefore, the United States has joined a small group of countries, such as Australia or Canada, Allowing its citizens to specify a gender other than male or female in their passports.
Price used this announcement to reiterate that “The State Council is committed to promoting the freedom, dignity and equality of all people, including LGTBIQ+ people.”
Since the President of the United States took office, Joe BidenAfter taking office, in January this year, it made the defense of LGTBIQ + community’s rights one of its priorities, in stark contrast to his predecessor Donald Trump (2017-2021).
Secretary of State, Anthony winked, Has promised to resolve this issue in June after overcoming technical obstacles. Also under Blinken’s leadership, the State Department allows U.S. passport holders to choose their gender.
In the past, Americans needed a medical certificate so that they could mark a different gender on their passport than on the birth certificate or other documents. The State Department announced the news on Intersex Awareness Day Week.
US LGTBIQ+ rights envoy Jessica Stern called these measures historically significant, and pointed out that in this way, government documents conform to “real life.” A wider range of human sexual characteristics More than what the first two names reflect.
Stern said: “When a person gets an ID that reflects their true identity, they will live more dignified and respected.”