Rubio Suspends Nonbinary Passport Applications at U.S. State Department, Limiting Gender Options

Jan 23, 2025, 11:19 PM

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed the U.S. State Department to suspend all passport applications that include an 'X' gender marker, in line with a recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The order mandates that only 'male' or 'female' be recognized as gender options on U.S. passports, reflecting the policy that an individual's sex is immutable and determined at birth. This move reverses a policy introduced under the Biden administration, which allowed nonbinary, intersex, and gender-nonconforming individuals to select an 'X' marker on their passports. Rubio's directive, communicated via an internal email, also halts active requests for changes to gender markers on existing passports. Existing passports with the 'X' marker remain valid until they expire, but upon renewal, applicants will be required to choose either 'male' or 'female'.