Trangender people suing Trump admin over passport policy
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.”
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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