CNN
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The federal government will recognize only two genders, male and female, under an executive order signed Monday by President Donald Trump.
The order rolls back the Biden administration’s efforts to expand gender identity designations, including on passports.
“Starting today, it will be the official policy of the Government of the United States that there be only two genders, male and female,” Trump said during his inaugural address Monday, taking a first step to deliver on one of his culture war promises. .
Titled “Defending Women from Ideological Gender Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” the order states that “genders are not changeable and are rooted in a fundamental and indisputable reality.”
The federal government will also transition from the term “gender” to “sex,” and sex is “the immutable biological classification of an individual,” a Trump administration official told reporters Monday.
All government agencies will ensure that official documents, including passports, visas and Global Entry cards, “accurately reflect the gender of their holder,” the order states. Additionally, departments that operate federal prisons, migrant shelters, rape shelters and other “intimate spaces” will be instructed to protect single-sex spaces to maintain privacy. And employee files will also respect the decree, as will messages from federal ministries.
“Agencies will no longer promote gender ideology through communication forms and other messages,” the official said, adding that grants and contracts will be reviewed to ensure that “federal funds are not used to promote gender ideology.
Trump’s executive order will dismantle the Biden administration’s efforts to be more inclusive of Americans’ gender identification.
Since 2022, US citizens can select “X” as a gender marker on their passport. According to the State Department, a person’s marker does not need to match gender on citizenship documents or photo ID, and no medical documentation is needed to change gender .
“We promote the freedom, dignity and equality of all people, including LGBTQI+ people,” the ministry’s website states. “We are demonstrating this commitment to better serving all American citizens, regardless of their gender identity. »
Later that year, Americans were able to begin changing their gender identification with the Social Security Administration without needing to provide a medical certificate. However, Social Security registration systems still require a male or female designation, although the administration has said it is exploring updates to its policy and systems to support an “X” designation. “.
“The Social Security Administration’s Equity Action Plan includes a commitment to reducing administrative burdens and ensuring that people who identify as gender diverse or transgender have options in the application process of social security number card,” said Kilolo Kijakazi, the administration’s acting commissioner at the time.
This story has been updated with additional developments.