The State Department will only process and issue passports for individuals who identify as male or female, and has halted processing applications for passports that seek the gender marker of “X,” a department official said.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday stating that “these sexes are not changeable” and that it is US government policy “to recognize two sexes, male and female.” This action coincides with that order.
“In line with that Order, the Department’s issuance of U.S. passports will reflect the individual’s biological sex as defined in the Executive Order,” the spokesperson said Friday.
According to the spokeswoman, the State Department has stopped processing applications using the X marker and is no longer using it to issue US passports.
“Guideline regarding previously issued X sex marker passports is forthcoming,” they stated.
Changes made under the Biden administration to accommodate non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming individuals are undone by the Trump executive order. Americans had been entitled to choose X as their gender identifier since April 2022.
Additionally, a Trump administration official told reporters Monday that the federal government will stop using the term “gender” and instead use “sex,” citing sex as “an individual’s immutable biological classification.”
Additionally, a Trump administration official told reporters Monday that the federal government will stop using the term “gender” and instead use “sex,” citing sex as “an individual’s immutable biological classification.”
According to Trump’s executive order, all federal organizations are required to make sure that official documents, such as Global Entry cards, passports, and visas, “accurately reflect the holder’s sex.”
The executive order will also be followed in federal departments’ messages and employee records.During his campaign, Trump pledged to urge Congress to prohibit the promotion and funding of gender-affirming operations with federal funds.
Additionally, he has stated that if hospitals and healthcare providers give chemical or physical gender-affirming treatment to children, his administration will not permit them to meet federal health and safety standards for Medicaid and Medicare.