Colombia adds non-binary gender option on passports

Photo by David Restrepo on Unsplash

BOGOTÁ, Colombia– Colombia has begun issuing passports with the gender option “X,” for people who identify as non-binary, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

“The foreign ministry recognizes the diversity of genders,” said Andrea Garzon, an official with the passport service, who announced the move in a video on the foreign ministry’s website.

In March 2022, a Colombian court ruled that people should be able to have their gender registered as non-binary, rather than male or female, on official identity documents.

In the following seven months, 26 people opted to make this change on their identity cards and birth certificates, according to official data.

Colombia, which has a population of 50 million, joins over a dozen other countries which allow this option, such as Australia, Pakistan, Nepal, New Zealand, Germany, Argentina, the United States, and Mexico.

Agence France Presse

She is a longtime journalist who has written about politics, legislation, the judiciary, health, and human rights. She produced news and feature stories and investigative reports for the country’s top broadsheet.