I’m non-binary and used to want an ‘X’ on my passport – but this is why I’ve changed my mind

I lobbied the government to allow people to declare themselves gender-neutral in their travel papers, says Jamie Windust. Here’s why I now think it would be nothing more than a box-ticking exercise – and potentially dangerous

‘I was adamant that the option to have a third gender marked in my passport was about individual choice’ (Getty)

Sometimes, what we want isn’t necessarily what we need. That’s a phrase usually reserved for fairly minor life moments such as buying an expensive piece of jewellery, or cutting in a fringe. But lately, I’ve realised that one can apply the logic to much larger quandaries, too – such as having one’s gender recognised by officialdom.

A casual thought popped into my head while walking to work. Having a third-gender option to put on my passport – an “X”, rather than an “M” for male or “F” for female – may be something I would like to happen… but do I need it to happen in order to feel validated as a non-binary person in the UK?

I was put in mind of this last week, when I heard that the cost of renewing a new passport was going up, for the second time in 14 months, to just over £100. Luckily, I renewed mine in 2022, and ticked the “M” box, correlating with my assigned sex at birth.