Donald Trump’s recent executive orders include a directive impacting passports, particularly for non-binary individuals.

One order, titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” reaffirms the recognition of only two genders, male and female. As part of this policy, transgender women will no longer be housed in female prisons, and non-binary gender markers on passports are being eliminated.

The Biden Administration had allowed an ‘X’ gender option on passports, with 1.2 million Americans identifying as non-binary. The first X gender passport, issued in 2021, was hailed as a step toward inclusivity. However, under Trump’s new order, the US State Department is freezing X gender passport applications.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that “sex, not gender, will be used” on official documents, instructing staff to suspend any applications requesting a gender marker change or the X option.

The change affects both current and future passport applications.