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Science | Citizenship | PSHE | Relationships and health

US to add third gender option to passports

Should we remove gender from passports? Today, Americans can identify as either male or female and soon they can put ‘X’ for neither. But the Dutch have dropped the question altogether. In 2013, Dana Zzyym had to travel to Mexico for work. Their passport application was declined when they failed to say whether they were male or female. Zzyym is intersexPeople born with both female and male reproductive anatomy., uses they/them pronouns and campaigns for a third gender to be recognised on official documents. That fight is almost over. The US has announced that citizens can now self-select their preferred gender identity without additional proof. For now, the choice is still binaryBinaries divide something into two mutually exclusive parts that are defined by each other., between M (male) and F (female). But soon, there will be an X option for "non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons". It's a huge victory for the estimated 1.2 million Americans who identify as non-binary. Zzyym says: "We can just be ourselves" and "don't have to lie to get our passports". The move puts the US in a small but growing group of countries offering more gender options. In 2003, the Australian Alex McFarlane became the first person in the world to acquire a gender-neutral passport. India, MaltaAn island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It was of vital strategic importance in WWII, and survived such heavy bombing by the German air force that it was awarded the George Cross., New Zealand and Argentina, among others, now offer a non-binary choice. Social attitudes and the law are changing. In many countries, intersex and non-binary people still face forced sterilisationRemoving someone's reproductive organs to assign a gender normally causes infertility., gender reassignment surgery and psychiatric evaluation before they are allowed to change gender. But in at least ten countries, people can correct their documents without medical intervention. This change overturns centuries of accepted ideas about sex and gender. Since the Age of EnlightenmentIn the 17th and 18th Centuries, classified nature and society into systems of race, class and sex., Western science and society have assumed that people are either male or female. And that gender identity is determined by biological sex. Men are masculine and women are feminine. As many as 1.7% of people are born intersex, with sex characteristicsThese include variations in chromosomes, gonads (testicles and ovaries), hormones and genitals. that "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". Others experience gender dysphoriaFeelings of discomfort or stress a person feels due to a mismatch between their gender identity and their sex assigned at birth.  due to a mismatch between their gender identity and biological sex. The experiences of intersex and transgender people have challenged the idea that sex and gender are fixed and binary. But many culturesSome Native American cultures have a third gender. already recognise three or more genders. In 2014, the Indian Supreme Court ruled that hijrasAcross South Asia, hijras are legally recognised as a third gender and are neither male nor female. should have a third gender option in their passports. For intersex Americans like Mary Emily O'Hara, these changes mean they can carry IDs that match their "authentic self" as well as avoiding embarrassing questions about why their documents "don't say the same thing." However, the Netherlands has a different solution. They plan to remove gender markers from their documents, following UN advice that there are "significant doubts" of the usefulness of this information. Supporters argue that including race and religionCritics argue that the official classification of Jews in Europe and Tutsis in Rwanda created the conditions for genocide. leads to discrimination and the persecution of minorities. The same applies to gender. Their purpose is to prove that people are who they say they are. According to Dutch officials, making people declare their gender is not helpful and could be harmful. So, should we remove gender from passports? X marks the spot Some say yes, it is an unnecessary piece of information. We do not need to declare our sexuality, religion or political persuasion in order to work or travel, so why do we need to fix our gender on paper? The law should be blind and treat everyone equally. We should embrace a world free from categories, where identity is so fluid and diverse that even three options would not be enough. Others say no, it would deny people the right to legally exist. Official documents and medical science have made intersex and non-binary people invisible for generations. They live in a society built on binaries and categories that exclude them. Removing gender from passports will not change this, but including their identity will give non-binary people a powerful weapon to fight for equal rights. KeywordsIntersex - People born with both female and male reproductive anatomy.

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