U.S. Halts Passport Applications for 'X' Gender Marker Following New Policy

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The United States State Department has announced a freeze on all passport applications featuring an 'X' gender marker, as well as changes to gender identity on existing passports. This decision follows President Donald Trump's recent executive order, issued on his first day of office for his second term, which stipulates that only two genders—male and female—are recognized by the U.S.

In his inaugural address on January 20, Trump asserted that gender distinctions are "immutable biological realities." Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed department personnel to implement this policy strictly, instructing them to use the term 'sex' rather than 'gender' in official documents, including passports.

The executive order, titled "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government," mandates that government-issued identification reflect a person's biological classification. Consequently, all applications for passports requesting an 'X' marker or seeking to alter existing gender markers are to be suspended.

While passports containing the 'X' marker, introduced in April 2022, remain valid, questions about renewing such documents have arisen. The number of current passport holders with the 'X' designation is unclear. Additional guidance regarding the treatment of existing passports will be provided through different channels.

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