A group of transgender individuals is taking on the Trump administration’s latest policy, which prohibits the issuance of passports with sex designations that do not align with an applicant’s biological sex at birth. Seven people, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have filed a lawsuit arguing that the policy violates their privacy and First Amendment rights. In 2022, the State Department had allowed passport applicants to choose from M, F, or X for their sex designation.
“The plaintiffs in this case have had their lives upended by a chaotic policy clearly driven by animosity and serving no public interest,” stated Sruti Swaminathan, a staff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project. “Our clients rely on travel for work, education, and family obligations, and being compelled to carry documents that directly contradict their true selves – or withholding those documents altogether – is a blatant attempt to invade their privacy and restrict their freedom to express their true identities.”
The policy was implemented after President Donald Trump signed an executive order emphasizing the “biological truth.” The order, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” asserts that the U.S. will only recognize two sexes – male and female – based on unchangeable biological traits. It prohibits the use of gender identity in legal and administrative contexts, directing federal agencies overseeing housing, prisons, and education to adhere to this definition when enforcing laws and creating regulations.
The executive order mandates that government-issued identification documents accurately reflect the holder’s sex as either “male” or “female.” Reid Solomon-Lane, one of the plaintiffs, shared in an ACLU statement that he has lived his adult life as a man. “Everyone in my personal and professional circles recognizes me as a man, and any stranger I encounter on the street perceives me as a man,” Solomon-Lane explained. “Now, as a married father of three, Trump’s executive order and the subsequent passport policy have jeopardized the safety and ease of my life.”
See also Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s tough Bronx persona is under fresh scrutiny with a resurfaced childhood nickname from her suburban upstate New York upbringing casting doubt on that publicly portrayed image. The progressive champion’s latest spat with President Donald Trump over the Iran strikes again called into question her true upbringing when she declared on X she was a “Bronx girl" to make her a point against the president. The 35-year-old congresswoman wrote in part on X: "I’m a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully," she said, referring to the president’s upbringing in Queens as she called for his impeachment over his decision to bypass Congress in authorizing U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but moved to Yorktown – which is nearly an hour outside New York City -- when she was 5 years old and went on to attend Yorktown High School where she graduated in 2007. She was considered an accomplished student there and well thought of by teacher Michael Blueglass, according to a 2018 report by local media outlet Halston Media News. “There, known by students and staff as ‘Sandy,’ she was a member of the Science Research Program taught by Michael Blueglass," the report states. “She was amazing," Blueglass said, per the report. “Aside from her winning one of the top spots and going to the [Intel International Science and Engineering Fair], she was just one of the most amazing presenters in all of the years I've been at Yorktown. Her ability to take complex information and explain it to all different levels of people was fantastic." After high school, Ocasio-Cortez attended Boston University, where she majored in economics and international relations, per the report. Ocasio-Cortez’s “Sandy" nickname — which carries a more suburban and preppy tone — appears to undercut her politically crafted image as a tough, inner-city fighter, one she has portrayed since her famous 2018 congressional campaign where she eventually ousted former 10-terms Congressman Joe Crowley. New York GOP Assemblyman Matt Slater, who now represents Yorktown, added to the scrutiny of Ocasio-Cortez’s persona in the wake of her brash with Trump and released images of Ocasio-Cortez from his high school yearbook. He claimed he and the rising Democratic star attended Yorktown High School at the same time when she was a freshman and he was a senior. "I saw the attacks on the president and her [Ocasio-Cortez] claims that she's a big, tough Bronx girl," said Slater. "To sit there and say that she’s a Bronx girl is just patently ridiculous." "Everybody in our community knows this is just a bold-face lie," said Slater on "Fox & Friends First" last week. "She grew up in Yorktown, she was on my track team." "She's lying about her background, she's lying about her upbringing," Slater claimed. Slater’s post sent social media ablaze and prompted Ocasio-Cortez to respond after an image if her family’s home was posted online. “I’m proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Friday responding to the post. “My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors’ homes in exchange for SAT prep." “Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it’s a big reason I believe the things I do today!"
The ACLU disclosed that they have been contacted by over 1,500 transgender individuals or their family members who are concerned about obtaining passports that accurately reflect their identities. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and State Department for comments on the matter.
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