British supreme court rejects appeal to allow gender-neutral passports

Five judges on Britain’s Supreme Court reject a legal challenge against the government policy not to allow gender-neutral passports.

Christie Elan-Cane, who does not identify as either male or female, argued that Britain’s passport application process was “inherently discriminatory.”

Individuals only have a choice of “male” or “female” on the application, with no option to put “X” for “unspecified” — an alternative introduced in several other countries.

But the Supreme Court unanimously dismisses the appeal, ruling that a person’s identity could be confirmed using the form and checking it against other official documents. That includes birth, adoption or gender recognition certificates, says judge Robert Reed in the ruling.

The judges say that the lack of a gender-neutral option “does not unjustifiably breach articles 8 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.”

Countries including Canada, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Malta, Nepal and Pakistan all now issue passports with options other than male and female.