WASHINGTON, DC —Today, 82 Members of Congress, led by Congressional Equality Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Julie Johnson (TX-32) and Rep. Emily Randall (WA-06) and CEC Members Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15) and Rep. Gabe Amo (RI-01), sent a public comment letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) demanding OMB reject proposed changes to U.S. passport forms that would further implement Trump’s anti-trans passport policy by requiring applicants to list their “biological sex at birth” and by only providing male and female options.
In the letter, the Members state:
We write to strongly oppose the proposed changes to passport forms DS-11, DS-5504, and DS-82 to replace the term “gender” with “sex” and to request the applicant’s “biological sex at birth,” with only a male or female option. These changes, which the Department of State has stated are pursuant to Executive Order No. 14168, will decrease passport accuracy; will subject our transgender, nonbinary, and intersex constituents to potential harassment and violence; raise serious constitutional concerns; and are contrary to the purposes of the Paperwork Reduction Act.
The members explain that “Requiring transgender people to have passports that do not accurately reflect their gender identity can subject transgender people to harassment, discrimination, and potential violence. For example, 22% of transgender respondents to a 2022 U.S. survey reported being verbally harassed, assaulted, asked to leave a location, or denied services after showing someone an identification document with a name or gender that did not match their gender presentation.”
They continue by saying “Transgender, nonbinary, and intersex Americans deserve to have ID documents, including passports, that reflect their identity. This is critical for their safety and for their ability to fully participate in society.”
The Members end their letter urging OMB to “abandon these proposed changes” and “instead continue to allow transgender, nonbinary, and intersex Americans to update their passports to reflect their gender identity, including by applying for ‘X’ gender markers.”
The Members’ full letter can be read here.
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