Intersex Rights

Lambda Legal returned to federal court today on behalf of Dana Zzyym, an intersex citizen and U.S. Navy veteran denied a passport because the U.S. State Department refuses to recognize a gender marker that is neither male nor female.

Lambda Legal is urging the State Department to issue accurate passports for non-binary people. This comes after a judge found that the State Department violated federal law in denying a passport to Lambda Legal client Dana Zzyym, a U.S. citizen and Navy veteran who is intersex.

Lambda Legal today argued in federal district court that the U.S. State Department erred when it refused to issue a passport to Dana Zzyym, a U.S. citizen and Navy veteran who is intersex and does not identify as male or female.

Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations. Intersex people are born with sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of bodies designated “male” or “female.” In some cases, intersex traits are visible at birth, while in others they are not apparent until puberty. Some intersex variations may not be visibly apparent at all.