Gender may go from passports

Gender may go from passports

The United Kingdom is considering removing gender categories from its passports out of respect for transgender and intersex people.

Currently all UK passports require a person to identify themselves as a man or a woman. Supporters of change say removing gender would prevent embarrassment at international borders and airports when a person’s gender appears different from that marked on their passports.

To continue to comply with international laws, the new passports would still have a category titled ‘sex’ but this would be filled with an ‘X’ for all passport holders.

“We are exploring with international partners and relevant stakeholders the security implications of gender not being displayed in the passport,” the UK Home Office stated.

Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert pointed out that UK military IDs, including those with high-level security clearances, did not carry information on a person’s gender.

“It is not a very good biometric,” Huppert said.

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4 responses to “Gender may go from passports”

  1. If gender is never a reason to exclude people from travel, then I fail to see why it should be on a passport or a drivers licence.

    But we still have stick figures of a man telling us when to walk at traffic lights, so we are a long way off having a gender discussion.

  2. If race is not a reason to exclude people from travel, then I fail to see why Gender should be counted on a passport. You do not where a sign saying your a man or a woman, or intersex, so I do not understand why it should matter on a passport.

  3. Sounds like a first-year gender studies suggestion. Will the use of the phrase “men and women” next be discouraged?

  4. What a ridiculous approach to public policy!

    You are better off adding a category (transgender) than denying everyone else their sexual identity. You can’t include the 0.025 percent identifying as intersex by excluding gender for the 99.075% who identify as male or female.