Colombia begins issuing passports with three gender options

In order to recognize the “sexual and gender diversity” of people, the Chancellery colombiana included the option “X” in it passportleaving three gender options in the document for the selection of citizens, the entity reported this Thursday.

Internationally, this category has been adopted as an alternative to recognize intersex and non-binary gender identity.

The Colombian Foreign Ministry explained in a statement that the determination was made to comply with a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling of Colombia, which also ordered the recognition of the non-binary gender in the citizenship card.

The information added that the measure is taken “In accordance with the feminist foreign policy of the Government of President Gustavo Petro”.

In addition, it is in line with the standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), through the parameterization of the Comprehensive Citizen Procedures System (SITAC) and the passport printing process.

The origin

The decision adopted by the Chancellery to include the marker “X” It originated in Medellín, capital of the department of Antioquia, when Dani García asked the National Registry of Civil Status to change the gender component in his national identity document to a third option.

His request was not accepted because the agency told him that only categories were allowed “M” either “F”. The same happened when García asked the Ninth Notary of Medellín to change his legal name to “Dani”a gender-neutral name.

Before these refusals, García filed a guardianship (amparo) to reverse the decisions of the National Registry of Civil Status and the Ninth Notary of Medellín.

The action reached the Constitutional Court, which determined that García’s rights to equality, human dignity, legal personality and the free development of personality had been violated.

Consequently, the Court ordered the Ninth Notary of Medellín to include in the civil registry of García’s birth “the non-binary marker”and to the National Registrar’s Office to issue him a citizenship certificate in accordance with this.

Source: EFE