The Netherlands has issued its first gender-neutral passport to Leonne Zeegers, recognizing her as gender X after a two-year battle in the courts. Zeegers is intersex and had gender confirmation surgery to become a woman in 2001, and now identifies and gender-neutral, using she/her pronouns.
Though this victory gives hope to LGBT+ rights advocates, it does not signal a significant change in Netherlands policy. Those who identify as non-binary have to go through the courts, which will recognize their gender on a case-by-case basis. A handful of other countries have introduced or are in the process of introducing a third gender, including Denmark, Germany, and Ireland in Europe.
“I have lived life on both sides; sometimes I feel as a man, sometimes I feel as a woman, sometimes I don’t feel anything,” Zeegers said, describing her experience. “Gender is everything between the spectrum of male and female.”
Read more at Pink News