US issues its first passport with X gender designation to reflect ‘lived reality’

Diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights said it's a matter of dignity and respect'

The US has issued its first passport with an X" gender designation - a milestone in the recognition of the rights of people who don't identify as male or female - and expects to be able to offer the option more broadly next year, the state department said on Wednesday.

The US special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights, Jessica Stern, called the moves historic and celebratory, saying they brought the government documents in line with the lived reality" that there is a wider spectrum of human sex characteristics than is reflected in the previous two designations.