Australia offers third gender status on passports

Australian passports will now have three gender options – male, female and indeterminate – under new guidelines to remove discrimination against transgender and intersex people.

Intersex people, who are biologically not entirely male or female, will be able to list their gender on passports as “X.”

Transgender people, whose perception of their own sex is at odds with their biology, will be able to pick whether they are male or female if their choice is supported by a doctor’s statement. Transgender people cannot pick “X.”

Previously, gender was a choice of only male or female, and people were not allowed to change their gender on their passport without having had a sex-change operation. Foreign minister Kevin Rudd said the new guidelines removed discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and sexual orientation.

He added: “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.