The United States issued its first passport with an “X” gender designation — a milestone in the recognition of the rights of people who do not identify as male or female — and expects to be able to offer the option more broadly next year, the State Department said Wednesday.

The change brings government documents in line with the “lived reality” that there is a wider spectrum of human sex characteristics than is reflected in the previous two designations.

The department now also allows applicants to self-select their gender as male or female, no longer requiring them to provide medical certification if their gender did not match that listed on their other identification documents.

The State Department expects to be able to offer the option more broadly next year.

The judge who oversaw the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin said he will make the names of the 15 jurors and alternates who sat in the courtroom public on Nov. 1.

The written questionnaires of all 109 potential jurors who were formally evaluated will also be made public.

Seven positive COVID-19 cases were reported by St. Thomas’ Center for Well-Being during the seventh week of classes, a decrease of 22 from the previous week.

Four cases were students and three were employees. Six cases came from the St. Paul campus and one from the Minneapolis campus. The Center for Well-Being also reported that St. Thomas currently has an 88.8% university-wide vaccination rate.

As of October 18, 92.9% of university employees are vaccinated and 88.2% of students are vaccinated.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported as of October 21, that 3,452,704 Minnesotans have had at least one vaccine dose, and 3,285,805 have completed the vaccine series. The department reported that 76.6% of Minnesotans age 18 and up have completed the vaccine series.

Lauren Dettmer can be reached at laure.dettmer@stthomas.edu.