ACLU pressing Biden administration to allow third-gender X option on passports, report

The American Civil Liberties Union is asking the Biden administration to allow Americans who identify as neither male or female to be able to select a third gender identification on passports, Social Security cards, residence permits and other types of federal documents, according to a news report.

At least a dozen states and Washington, D.C., have already amended laws to offer an X gender designation on some identifying documents, including driver’s licenses and birth certificates, according to The New York Times.

However, federal rules have changed little in roughly the past 11 years, when the existing policy for changing one’s sex marker on a passport was implemented. The application has always required medical certification and is available only for those who have transitioned from one gender to another.

The State Department, which issues passports, asks applicants to select either male or female. And President Biden has vowed to change the process, The Times also reports.

"Transgender and non-binary people without identification documents that accurately reflect their gender identity are often exposed to harassment and violence and denied employment, housing, critical public benefits, and even the right to vote," Biden's campaign website states.