The US Supreme Court allow Trump’s administration to prevent applicants from choosing the sex that reflects their gender identities when applying for US passports. This action is viewed as part of the Republican president’s crackdown on the rights of transgender Americans.
US Supreme Court allow Bar Trans People to choose Gender
America’s highest court approved the Justice Department’s request to remove a judge’s order that had blocked the policy requiring passports to match a person’s sex assigned at birth. At the same time, a class action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision continues.
According to Reuters, which first reported the story, Trump’s policy reverses decades of practice at the US State Department. Since 1992, the department had allowed passport sex markers to differ from the sex assigned at birth with medical documentation.
Liberal justice disagree with decision
The three liberal justices of US Supreme Court publicly disagreed with this decision. Under Democratic President Joe Biden, the State Department in 2021 let passport applicants choose a male or female sex marker without needing documentation. It also added a third option, “X,” for nonbinary, intersex, and gender non-conforming applicants.
Trump has taken aim at the rights of transgender individuals through a series of executive orders since taking office again in January. One such order states that the US government will recognize only two sexes, male and female. Trump has characterized the gender identity of transgender people as a lie.
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