- Devin-Norelle, who uses ze/zim pronouns, applied to get a gender-neutral passport.
- Ze learned ze couldn't get one because only one facility in the US can print "X" gender markers.
- The State Department confirmed this, saying it plans to update its system later this year.
Last fall, Devin-Norelle, who uses ze/zim pronouns, had a break in zis busy travel schedule. As a freelance writer, model, and influencer, ze is usually jet-setting at least once a month — whether to California, London, or Cuba.
But when ze had a two-month gap in travel, Devin-Norelle decided to submit a passport renewal. Ze wanted a gender-neutral passport.
"I've always wanted something that didn't say either 'F' or 'M,' and I finally had this opportunity," Devin-Norelle told Insider.
The US State Department started allowing citizens to request an "X" gender marker on passports in April 2022, and Devin-Norelle, as a nonbinary person, was intent on taking advantage of it.
But Devin-Norelle said ze struggled to get the gender-neutral passport. That's because there is only one facility in the US that prints these passports, and it was too far from Devin-Norelle.
Devin-Norelle applied for a gender-neutral passport in 2022
Devin-Norelle filed a passport-renewal application with nine weeks to spare before zis next trip in January 2023 — which is well within the expedited window of seven to nine weeks recommended by the State Department. But when six weeks went by with no update, Devin-Norelle called and request an expedited renewal.
The agent offered an appointment at a processing facility in New Hampshire, which Devin-Norelle said was not much help considering ze lives in New York City. Eventually, Devin-Norelle snagged an appointment in Stamford, Connecticut, which was accessible by train.
When Devin-Norelle got there, however, ze ran into more roadblocks. They were the "nicest people in the world," Devin-Norelle said, but the agents explained that the facility lacked the printing technology to stamp an "X" on the passport. And Devin-Norelle's passport documents were stuck in Arizona.
Devin-Norelle asked why zis materials were sent to Arizona in the first place. The agent explained that the Arizona facility was the only one in the country that could print an "X" gender marker on passports.
Devin-Norelle said ze was "floored, completely floored, to say the least."
While printing an 'X' instead of an 'F' or 'M' may seem like a simple thing that any printer could do, that's not the case
A State Department spokesperson confirmed to Insider that only one facility can print gender-neutral passports right now.
"While we accept applications for 'X' gender-marker passports from across the country, currently only the Western Passport Center in Tucson, Arizona, prints 'X' gender-marker passports," the spokesperson said.
But the State Department plans to update its software later this year, which should fix the problem.
"All passport agencies will be able to print US passport books and cards with the 'X' gender marker," they said.
But that wasn't much help to Devin-Norelle as ze scrambled to get a passport, any passport, before zis impending trip this January.
"It still just doesn't make any sense," Devin-Norelle said. "How hard is it to change the 'M' or the 'F' to an 'X?'"
But the spokesperson at the State Department said, "We are committed to making the necessary updates to our systems as quickly as possible."
Devin-Norelle wasn't able to get a gender-neutral passport
Ze ended up securing a temporary passport that day, with an "M" gender marker. The passport agents waived the expediting fee.
Devin-Norelle had to travel with a passport that still doesn't match zis gender identity. Devin-Norelle said that in most cases security agents aren't paying much attention to the gender marker on a passport, so ze hasn't run into any major issues.
"When I mask up, people cannot figure out what gender I am," ze says.
Still, Devin-Norelle said ze would prefer a gender-neutral passport.
"It's disappointing. If you're completely rolling out a program that's nationwide, and you have hundreds of thousands of US citizens that are nonbinary, it's sending a message that these specific citizens aren't as important to you as other citizens," Devin-Norelle said. "It's not like we're asking for a billion dollars. We're just asking for a letter."