The United States has issued its first US passport with an “X’’ gender marker, acknowledging the rights of people who do not identify as male or female, the State Department said Wednesday.

The department said in a statement it would expand the gender-neutral option to all applicants next year after it updates its policies on passports and US citizenship certificates for children born abroad. It said it was working with other government agencies to “ensure as smooth a travel experience as possible for all passport holders.’’

It did not identify the recipient of the passport, but Lambda Legal, a national civil rights organization, said Wednesday that the passport had been issued to Dana Zzyym, a military veteran who is intersex.

In 2015, Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in Colorado against the State Department on Zzyym’s behalf after Zzyym was denied a gender-neutral passport.

Zzyym was identified as male on the original birth certificate and female on the driver’s license, according to court documents.

The State Department said in its statement the new option was part of a “commitment to promoting the freedom, dignity and equality of all people.’’

New York Times