Trump’s ban on passport gender marker changes is on hold—for now

ANALYSIS: A temporary window has opened for trans Americans to get documents that accurately match their gender identity.

If you’re trans, living in the U.S. and need to update your passport—the time to do so is now.

Back in January, President Trump issued an executive order that banned the issuing of passports with gender markers that don’t match one’s sex assigned at birth, resulting in many trans Americans receiving inaccurate passports.

In response, the ACLU filed Orr v. Trump, a federal lawsuit that called the policy unconstitutional. The U.S. District Court of Massachusetts has since issued a preliminary injunction to halt the order from taking effect while litigation is pending, and the State Department is now complying.

There is now a window of opportunity for trans people to get accurate documents that match their gender identity, but it’s unclear how long it will last. We break down the official guidance and what steps you need to take if you want to update or renew your passport.

Cody Corrall is Xtra's Social Video Producer. Their work has appeared in BuzzFeed News, TechCrunch, the Chicago Reader, CINE-FILE, Thrillist, Paste Magazine, and other places on the world wide web. He lives in Chicago and speaks English.

Senior editor Mel Woods is an English-speaking Vancouver-based writer, editor and audio producer and a former associate editor with HuffPost Canada. A proud prairie queer and ranch dressing expert, their work has also appeared in Vice, Slate, the Tyee, the CBC, the Globe and Mail and the Walrus.

Keep Reading

Actors Ian McKellen and James Laurenson in 'Edward II', which featured the first gay kiss on British television

The history of the first gay kiss on British TV

In 1970, Sir Ian McKellen and James Laurenson made history with a kiss in a filmed production of “Edward II”
Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Brendan Carr in front of the FCC logo

FCC explores adding warning labels for trans content on TV

The U.S. government agency is taking comments on whether television ratings should be updated to signal “controversial gender identity issues”
On the left, Jason Collins on the cover of Sports Illustrated coming out as gay. On the right, a photo of Collins playing for the Brooklyn Nets.

Remembering Jason Collins, the gay NBA player who changed the game

The late trailblazer made history when he came out in 2013
Senior Director for Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka speaks during the Semafor World Economy Summit.

U.S. counterterrorism strategy takes aim at ‘pro-transgender’ groups

The Trump administration’s updated counterterrorism strategy targets “left-wing extremists” and groups who are “radically pro-transgender”
Advertisement