Doctor's Note No Longer Needed for Gender Marker Change on US Passports, State Department Announces

The State Department will now allow U.S. citizens to choose their “male” or “female” birth marker on their passport.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in a press release that there is no longer the need to provide a doctor’s note if the selected gender marker does not match the other identification documentation.

"The Department is taking these steps after considerable consultation with like-minded governments who have undertaken similar changes," he said.

This includes the discussion of adding options for those who are applying for passports or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA) and are nonbinary, gender nonconforming, or intersex. 

These changes come alongside others that the Biden administration has put out in protection of the LGBTQ+ community, including inclusive pronoun options on White House contact forms and pushing for the Equality Act.

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