State Department Says Passports Can Include Any Gender

The State Department announced on Wednesday that it will allow passport applicants to choose any sex they prefer, even without medical documentation and if the gender selected does not match an individual’s other forms of identification.

“U.S. passport applicants will now be able to select the gender they would like printed on their U.S. passports, even if the gender they select does not match the gender on their supporting documentation such as a birth certificate, previous passport, or state ID,” the State Department informed Congress on Tuesday night, before publicly announcing the policy change Wednesday. “The Department of State will no longer require medical certification to change the gender marker on U.S. passports.”

The State Department says it is now in the process of updating its computer systems to allow Americans to have their passports include a gender marker “for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons,” according to the congressional notification.

The policy shift follows a massive pressure campaign by progressive activists who are seeking wholesale changes to how the American government identifies individuals on their state and federal IDs. The decision is facing pushback from some in Congress who say the State Department is already overwhelmed by a backlog of passport requests that have been held up since the coronavirus pandemic shut down global travel.

The State Department has updated its online passport portal to reflect the shift in policy.

Officials are now being instructed to begin “the process of updating our procedures for the issuance of U.S. passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBAs) with the goal of offering a gender marker for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons,” according to the congressional notification.

This process of “adding a gender marker for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons to these documents is complex and will take time for extensive updates to our information technology (IT) systems,” according to the State Department. “In the meantime, applicants cannot apply for a passport with a non-binary, intersex, or gender non-conforming gender marker.”

Rep. Tim Burchett (R., Tenn.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Washington Free Beacon the change will further burden a system struggling to keep up with demand.

“Efficiently processing the enormous passport application backlog takes a backseat to woke PR stunts at Biden’s State Department,” Burchett said. “It is grossly negligent to prioritize political correctness while folks in my district and around the country are missing travel arrangements for mission trips, vacations, and even final goodbyes with loved ones.”