In the United States, the first passport is issued with an X to indicate the third gender

The United States also introduces the possibility of inserting an X in the passport under "gender", to represent those who do not recognize themselves in the binary category male or female.

The first passport has already been issued, but the option is expected to be available to everyone from the beginning of 2022, on both passports and birth certificates for Americans abroad.

US special envoy for LGBTQ rights Jessica Stern spoke of a historic move: "When a person obtains identity documents that reflect their true identity, they live with greater dignity and respect," Stern said.

The State Department did not release the name of the person who was granted the first document with the X: it could be Dana Zzyym, an intersexual from Colorado who has been involved in a legal battle with the department since 2015. Zzyym had written "intersex" above the boxes marked with "M" and "F" and for this the passport was denied.

"I want to reiterate, on the occasion of the issuance of this passport, the State Department's commitment to promote the freedom, dignity and equality of all people, including those of the LGBTQi community," said spokesman Ned Price.

The US is not the first country in the world to make this choice: it joins a small list of states including Australia, New Zealand, Nepal and Canada.

(Unioneonline / D)