The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that it will promote greater equity and inclusion for members of the LGBTQI+ community by giving individuals the option to select a nonbinary “X” gender marker during the voluntary self-identification questions that are part of the intake process for filing a charge of discrimination.

This announcement comes on Transgender Day of Visibility, which recognizes the resilience and accomplishments of the transgender community.

“The addition of a nonbinary gender marker to the EEOC’s charge intake process will be an important step to promote greater inclusion for members of the LGBTQI+ community,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “To advance our mission to prevent and remedy employment discrimin­ation, we must serve all workers, including those who do not identify as male or female. Our public-facing forms should make clear that we respect that diversity.”

Recognizing that the binary construction of gender as either