Male, or female? U.S. airlines passengers may soon no longer be limited to these two gender choices when purchasing tickets, an airlines trade group announced Tuesday, according to Agence France-Presse.
Starting on June 1, carriers represented by Airlines for America can give customers the options of “unspecified” and “undisclosed” in addition to the conventional choices.
How the member airlines implement the new options will be up to each carrier, according to the trade association, known as A4A.
A number of major carriers, including United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, are members of A4A, AFP reports.
United Airlines said on Twitter that “In the coming weeks, customers will be able to select the gender with which they most closely identify during the booking process.”
Carriers outside this association also appear to be mulling a similar change. Delta for instance, has said it is planning to institute non-binary gender options, according to AFP.
The shift comes amid a growing trend to allow citizens and customers to opt for non-binary labels. Seven states and the District of Columbia allow people to identify as “X” gender on state IDs and in some cases, driver’s licenses, AFP reports.
“Non-binary people face unnecessary, invasive, and discriminatory scrutiny by airlines, airports and security services alike,” said Arli Christian, state policy director for the National Center for Transgender Equality.
“A4A’s work is in line with other states who offer gender neutral designations on IDs and is an important step toward ensuring safe and smooth travel for all passengers regardless of their gender.”
