A no-gender alternative to the male and female categories in UK passports is a step closer thanks to Clifford Chance.

The Magic Circle firm has won permission to bring a judicial review of the requirement that applicants for passports must declare their gender as either male or female. Acting for Christie Elan-Cane, whose 'Non-Genderedcampaign seeks legal recognition for individuals who don't identify as either sex, Clifford Chance and barristers from Blackstone Chambers successfully argued that the case should be heard for inclusion of a third, non-gender specific 'X' option.

  The government's compromise was problematic, and childish.

Clifford Chance will now bring a case arguing that Her Majesty's Passport Office is breaching the right to private life under the European Convention on Human Rights, and that its m/f only policy is "discriminatory and irrational and therefore unlawful as a matter of administrative law". Australian and New Zealand passports already include an X option, as do those for Canada, Denmark, Germany, Malta and Pakistan. More countries, including India, Ireland and Nepal, provide equivalent third options.

CC's lead partner on the X-team, Narind Singh, said they were "delighted". He said the firm had worked with Elan-Cane on shis campaign for years "as it strives to attain recognition for individuals who do not identify as either male or female, including members of the trans community, intersex people and those who identify as non-gendered". Gender identity, said Singh, "is a fundamental part of an individual’s intimate, personal identity and X-passports are a crucial step in the protection of the human rights of this group of individuals, who otherwise face an unacceptable choice between forgoing a passport, and making a false declaration, and using a passport which misrepresents their identity".
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Comments

Anonymous 13 October 17 12:52

The snowflakes have once against trumped common sense. As I identify as an attack helicopter, will I get the right to have my passport reflect this?

Anonymous 13 October 17 14:50

Such a shame someone in a position of authority couldn't just look and say "yeah, that's a good idea, let's do it". We really shouldn't need lawyers and what I am sure will be massive amounts of tax payers money to sort shit like this out.

Anonymous 25 October 17 10:26

Can someone please explain to me why 'Gender' is used on ANY passports whatsoever when 'Sex' is the biological indication of that person's physiology, and so far as I am aware, that can't be 'X'?