In a first, Netherlands issues gender-neutral passport
The Netherlands has issued its first gender-neutral passport after a court ruled that forcing someone to identify as male or female amounted to 'violation of private life, self-determination, and personal autonomy'. The one who received the passport was 57-year-old Leonne Zeegers. Born a male, Zeegers realized at puberty ze didn't identify as one. A former athlete, Zeegers, who is a nurse now, identifies as intersex.
Zeegers filed a lawsuit and won
Zeegers was born in Breda and owing to the gender categorization in the birth certificate, ze was raised as a boy. In 2001, ze underwent a sex-surgery. Later, Zeegers filed a lawsuit in court, LGBT+ groups helped in the battle leading to a win. The gender column in Zeegers' passport reads X, and not 'M' for 'mannetje' ('male') or a 'V' for 'vrouw' ('female').
Netherlands isn't the first country to issue gender-neutral passport
Notably, Netherlands isn't the first country to issue a gender-neutral passport. In 2003, Australia's Alex MacFarlane got the passport having X in gender section. About it, MacFarlane had said, "It means a great deal. I've been battling with 30 odd years of misrepresentation". Argentina, Australia, Canada, Denmark, India, Malta, Nepal, New Zealand and Pakistan also issue gender neutral passports.
