Male, female or indeterminate, a third gender option has now been added to Australian passports.
Travellers are usually only able to change gender on their passport if they have received surgery. However now transgender people can choose male or female as long as their choice has the support of their doctor. Intersex people, biologically not entirely male or female, can list their gender as ‘X’
In the UK people who have not had gender changing surgery can change their passport details if there is evidence to prove they are permanently living under in a new gender role.
Now any nation under the International Civil Aviation Organization’s authority can add the category ‘X’.
Australian Senator Louise Pratt, has said this is a major coup for anyone travelling whose gender does not match their appearance.
She said: ‘”X” is really quite important, because there are people who are indeed genetically ambiguous and were probably arbitrarily assigned as one sex or the other at birth.
‘It’s a really important recognition of people’s human rights that if they choose to have their sex as “indeterminate”, they can.’
Kevin Rudd, Australia’s foreign minister, said: ‘This amendment makes life easier and significantly reduces the administrative burden for sex and gender diverse people who want a passport that reflects their gender and physical appearance.’
