Introduced non-binary gender entry in Colombian passports

Colombia is now issuing passports with the gender option “X” for people who identify themselves as neither male nor female. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognizes gender diversity,” said Andrea Garzón of the passport service, who announced the move Thursday in a video on the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Facebook page.

New form of gender entry by court decision

In March 2022, a Colombian court ruled that people should be able to have their gender entered as non-binary on official identity documents. Non-binary people are understood to be people who do not classify themselves as male or female in the usual gender division.

In the seven months that followed, 26 people decided to change their identity cards and birth certificates accordingly, according to official figures.

Colombia, with its more than 50 million inhabitants, joins more than a dozen other countries that allow a similar option. These include Australia, Pakistan, Nepal, New Zealand, Argentina, the USA, Mexico and now also Germany.

Anyone who does not identify themselves with their gender entry in this country previously had to have the corresponding entry changed in a lengthy and costly process. The federal government therefore passed the so-called self-determination law on Wednesday.

In the future, everyone in Germany should be able to determine their gender and first name themselves and change it in a simple procedure at the registry office. According to the Ministry of Family Affairs and Justice, the law is aimed at transgender, intersex and non-binary people.

Sources: DPA