Delta will add “X” as a non-binary gender option for ticket purchases

For now, non-binary customers must select “M” or “F” when booking flights on Delta, but are still allowed through airport security checkpoints even if the gender on their card boarding pass and their ID do not match, according to the airline.

The airline has been the subject of criticism in January when a Twitter user recounted the experience of trying to buy a Delta ticket with an “X” gender marker and being told by a booking agent that it was not possible. The customer tweeted that Delta’s policy “results in discriminatory treatment and is just bad business.”

Delta said in a statement that “we understand that being seen and recognized is part of a fair travel experience.” The airline also requires flight attendants to use gender-neutral language when greeting passengers and allows employees to choose male or female uniforms.

Beyond Delta, United and American, most other airlines allow customers to request changes in the gender listed on their tickets by contacting their customer contact centers, according to TSA.

Federal airport security agencies that check flight reservations and government IDs are also making changes. In February, the TSA stopped using sex to validate traveler IDs at airport security checkpoints.

“When travelers present themselves at the travel document checker podium for identity verification, gender information is not relevant in determining that a traveler can proceed to the screening area,” the agency said. TSA in a statement last week.

And, the Department of State will allow the “X” gender marker option on U.S. passports starting April 11.

DHS said airlines allowing use of the “X” gender marker can “ensure more efficient and accurate processing of passengers.”

The TSA plans to eventually allow applicants to its PreCheck program to choose “X” as their gender, which it says “keeps pace” with identifiers that allow the “X” gender option.

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Georgia Department of Driver Services online application form.

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Georgia Department of Driver Services online application form.

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While Georgia allows the choice of “Female” or “Male” on its driver’s license applications, some other states now allow other options. The Georgia Department of Driver Services said it would review the announcement and federal changes.

In addition to the gender marker changes, the TSA also plans to use gender-neutral screening at checkpoints, replacing the gender-based system for body-scanning devices that previously required some travelers to “submit a additional control due to alarms in sensitive areas”. It plans to reduce the resulting pat-downs until new gender-neutral body-scanning technology is rolled out.

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At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a security system has been launched that can see objects hidden under clothing without any physical contact from screeners. Here, Charles Jefferson (left) of the Transportation Security Administration demonstrates the use of full-body imaging checkpoint technology.

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At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a security system has been launched that can see objects hidden under clothing without any physical contact from screeners. Here, Charles Jefferson (left) of the Transportation Security Administration demonstrates the use of full-body imaging checkpoint technology.

The National Center for Transgender Equality said the changes announced by Biden administration “improve the lives of transgender people,” according to a written statement of the Executive Director Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen.

He added that actions and commitment to equality “will help reduce harassment, discrimination and violence against transgender people who are just trying to live our lives”.