The Biden administration has hinted that an executive action to add “X” gender markers on all federal documents, including passports and social security cards, is on the way.
In a statement to The 19th Matt Hill, a spokesperson for the White House, said President Biden remains committed to issuing nonbinary ID’s.
“President Biden remains committed to advancing state and federal efforts that allow transgender and non-binary Americans to update their identification documents to accurately reflect their gender identity, especially as transgender and nonbinary people continue to face harassment or are denied access to services because their identifications documents don’t affirm their identity,” Hill stated.
While Hill could not offer a timeline on when this would happen, the ACLU has launched a petition pushing the administration to issue “X” gender markers across all federal documents within Biden’s first 100 days in office.
“Access to an ID that reflects who you are is paramount to the rights of trans people, and so passing this kind of executive order early in the administration says from the federal government, ‘We see you, we respect you for exactly who you are,’” Arli Christian, a campaign strategist at the ACLU and one of the nation’s leading policy experts on transgender ID issues, told The 19th.
The ACLU is also pushing the administration to adopt a policy that allows trans, nonbinary, and intersex people to update their federal gender markers without submitting medical documentation of a gender change. Currently, “X” gender markers are offered in 20 states including Washington, D.C>
President Biden made a commitment to stand with and fight for the LGBTQ community a part of his campaign platform and build on the legacy of the Obama administration, which began allowing transgender people to update their passports after transitioning. Biden has already followed through on several campaign promises, including rolling back the transgender military ban, signing an executive order to enforce the Supreme Court’s LGBTQ employment ruling, and nominating Pete Buttgieg and Dr. Rachel Levine.
According to the 2015 U.S Trans Survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality, 46 percent of trans people don’t have identification that lists their correct name and gender. The UCLA School of Law estimated that 42 percent of eligible trans voters—378,450—might be barred from voting in the general election due to voter ID laws in 35 states.
“Transgender and nonbinary people without identification documents that accurately reflect their gender identity are often exposed to harassment and violent and denied employment, housing, critical public benefits, and even the right to vote,” President Biden’s campaign website states.
