The federal government will only recognize two sexes, male and female, under an executive order that President Donald Trump signed Monday.
The order reverses efforts by the Biden administration to broaden gender identity designations, including on passports.
“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,” Trump said during his inaugural address Monday, taking an early step to fulfill one of his culture war campaign promises.
Titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” the order says that “sexes that are not changeable, and they are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
The federal government will also shift from using the term “gender” to “sex,” and that sex is “an individual’s immutable biological classification,” a Trump administration official told reporters Monday.
All government agencies will ensure that official documents, including passports, visas and Global Entry cards, “accurately reflect the holder’s sex,” the executive order says. Also, departments running federal prisons, migrant shelters, rape shelters and other “intimate spaces” will be directed to protect single-sex spaces for privacy. And employee records will also adhere to the executive order, as will federal departments’ messaging.
“Agencies are no longer going to promote gender ideology through communication forms and other messages,” the official said, adding that grants and contracts will be reviewed to ensure that “federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology.”
Reversing Biden expansion
Trump’s executive order will dismantle efforts by the Biden administration to be more inclusive of Americans’ gender identification.
As of 2022, US citizens have been able to select “X” as their gender marker on passports. One’s marker does not need to match the gender on citizenship documents or photo ID, nor is medical documentation needed to change one’s gender, according to the State Department.
“We promote the freedom, dignity, and equality of all people – including LGBTQI+ individuals,” the department’s website says. “We are demonstrating this commitment to better serve all U.S. citizens, regardless of gender identity.”
Later that year, Americans were able to start changing their sex identification with the Social Security Administration without needing to provide medical certification. However, Social Security’s record systems still require a designation of male or female, though the administration said it was exploring policy and systems updates to support an “X” designation.
“The Social Security Administration’s Equity Action Plan includes a commitment to decrease administrative burdens and ensure people who identify as gender diverse or transgender have options in the Social Security number card application process,” said Kilolo Kijakazi, the administration’s acting commissioner at the time.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
