WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of State says it's making changes to its gender policies regarding passports in an effort to ensure members of the LGBTQ+ community are fairly treated.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that the department is immediately updating its procedures to allow applicants to self-select their gender as “M” or “F,” and it will no longer require medical certification if an applicant’s self-selected gender doesn’t match the gender on their other citizenship of identity documents.

Blinken says the department has also begun the process of adding a third gender marker for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming people who are applying for a passport or consular reports of birth abroad (CRBA).

“We are evaluating the best approach to achieve this goal,” wrote Blinken. “The process of adding a gender marker for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons to these documents is technologically complex and will take time for extensive systems updates.”

Blinken says officials will also be working closely with their interagency partners to make sure these passport holders have as smooth of a travel experience as possible.

“In line with the administration’s commitment to re-engage with allies and partners, the Department is taking these steps after considerable consultation with like-minded governments who have undertaken similar changes,” wrote Blinken. “We also value our continued engagement with the LGBTQI+ community, which will inform our approach and positions moving forward. With this action, I express our enduring commitment to the LGBTQI+ community today and moving forward.”

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making an unannounced visit to Afghanistan to sell Afghan leaders and a wary public on President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all American troops from the country.

Blinken met separately with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, his governing partner Abdullah Abdullah, and civic figures, to try to assure them that the U.S. remains committed to the country.

The visit came a day after Biden announced that the remaining 2,500 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan would be coming home before the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that led to the U.S. invasion in 2001.

NATO immediately followed suit, saying its roughly 7,000 non-American forces in Afghanistan would also be departing within a few months.

During a speech on Wednesday, Biden said the U.S. will begin the withdrawal from Afghanistan on May 1 and the forces won’t “conduct a hasty rush to the exit.” Instead, he said they’ll do so “responsibly, deliberately and safely.”

Biden said if the Taliban attacks the U.S. as it draws down, the nation’s troops will defend themselves with all the tools at their disposal.

The withdrawal announcement has been met with criticism from Republican lawmakers. Fox News reports that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the decision a "grave mistake."

"It is a retreat in the face of an enemy that has not yet been vanquished," McConnell said, according to Fox News.

At a White House briefing Tuesday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded to McConnell's remarks directly.

"The president has been consistent in his view that there is not a military solution in Afghanistan and that we have been there far too long," Psaki said, adding that "we need to focus our resources on the threats we face today."