The State Department has stopped issuing passports with an X gender marker. It also suspended applications to change gender markers, following an executive order by President Donald Trump. New Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed the changes, citing Trump’s stance on “biological truth.” Rubio stated, “Sex, and not gender, shall be used” in official documents. Trump’s executive order, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism,” defines sex as male or female based on birth. The policy rejects gender identity, calling it a “false claim” that must be excluded from federal policy. Passports with X markers remain valid but require male or female markers upon renewal. While Far-right Republicans are applauding this decision, queer advocates have expressed frustration. The X marker was introduced in 2021 after a legal challenge by intersex Navy veteran Dana Zzyym. Many fear that this new order will erase progress for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals. While many trans people are frustrated and anxious, Advocates for Trans Equality Executive Director Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinenready says “We are ready to fight for the rights and protections of our community.”
