US actress Hunter Schafer, known for her role in HBO’s hit show “Euphoria,” spoke out against the Donald Trump-led administration after her passport gender marker was changed to male.
Schafer attributed the change to policies under President Trump, who has implemented a federal policy recognising only two sexes – male and female.
In a TikTok video shared Thursday and later reposted Friday, Schafer explained that despite having female identity documents for nearly a decade, her renewed passport was marked male.
“I filled everything out just like I normally would. I put female, and when it was picked up today and I opened it up, they had changed the marker to male,” Schafer said, showing her passport. She mentioned the renewal was necessary after her previous passport was stolen last year.
Trump’s administration has enforced a strict two-gender policy, halting the issuance of passports with an “X” marker for non-binary individuals.
The state department’s website states that passports will only be issued with an “M” or “F” marker corresponding to the individual’s biological sex at birth.
Schafer suggested that her birth certificate, which still lists her as male, likely led to the change. “This is the first time this has happened to me since I changed my gender marker… and I do believe it is a direct result of the administration our country is currently operating under,” she said.
Schafer clarified that she shared her story not for sympathy but to highlight the potential impact on other transgender people. “Trans people are beautiful. We are never going to stop existing. I’m never going to stop being trans. However, it does make life a little harder. A letter and a passport can’t change that, and f*** this administration,” she said, noting that she might need to disclose her transgender identity to border officials when travelling.
The issue has sparked renewed debate over transgender rights in the US, with Republicans leveraging the topic in cultural and political discussions. In a related development, US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced new guidance defining “mother” as a female parent and “father” as a male parent, reinforcing the administration’s stance on biological sex as immutable.