President-elect Donald Trump will declare shortly after taking office on Monday that the federal government only recognizes two sexes — male and female — a move that reverses protections for transgender people put in place under outgoing President Joe Biden.
Trump will make the declaration as part of a flurry of executive orders he is planning to sign after his noon inauguration. An incoming White House official who described the measure said it is about “restoring sanity.”
The State Department, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies will be tasked with enforcing the directive, which applies to passports, visas and other government documents, according to the incoming White House official.
Since 2022, the State Department has allowed people to select a third gender, X, on their passports, and did not require them to provide medical documentation. The marker accommodates people who don’t identify as male or female, including people who consider themselves nonbinary or intersex.
The incoming Trump White House official giving a pre-inauguration briefing on Monday said the new guidance will affect this practice.
“Then no longer will government be promoting gender ideology,” the person said, adding: “These are sexes that are not tangible, and they are bounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
“Agencies should give effect to these terms when applying their statutes, regulations, guidance and all other agency business,” the incoming White House official said. The official specifically pointed to the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, and said federal agencies need to use the term sex, not gender.
“When the government fails to recognize the truth and treats self identification as more important than biological sex, people can no longer trust their government,” the incoming White House official said. “They can no longer understand the words that their government is using.”
On October 22, 2021, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will effectively end the option for individuals to select a gender X on their passports. This move has sparked outrage and controversy among LGBTQ+ advocates and allies, who argue that it is a step backwards in the fight for gender inclusivity and equality.
The executive order, titled “Protecting the Integrity of American Passports,” states that all passports issued by the United States government must accurately reflect the bearer’s biological sex. This means that individuals will only be able to select either male or female as their gender on their passport applications, with no option for a third gender designation.
Critics of the executive order argue that it is discriminatory and erases the identities of non-binary, genderqueer, and gender-nonconforming individuals. They believe that everyone should have the right to have their gender accurately reflected on their official documents, including passports.
Supporters of the executive order, on the other hand, argue that it is necessary to uphold the integrity of official government documents and prevent fraud and identity theft. They believe that allowing individuals to choose a gender X on their passports could lead to confusion and misuse of the document.
As the debate continues to unfold, it is clear that the issue of gender inclusivity on passports is a complex and contentious one. It remains to be seen how this executive order will impact the LGBTQ+ community and individuals who do not conform to traditional gender norms.
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- Trump executive order
- Gender X
- Passports
- Gender identity
- LGBTQ rights
- Trump administration
- Discrimination
- Equal rights
- Transgender rights
- Government policy
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