Hunter Schafer, a prominent transgender actress and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights who is known for her roles in HBO’s Euphoria and the Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, shared on TikTok today that her updated passport now identifies her as male. This change is due to President Donald Trump’s executive order which stipulated that the U.S. government only acknowledges two, traditional genders: male and female.
Since President Trump began his term a month ago, there’s been a flurry of executive orders. It can be challenging to discern which ones have truly shaped government policy. In a video posted on TikTok (later tweeted), Schafer explained that on his first day in office, Trump declared that the state would only recognize two genders. This decision led the Bureau of Consular Affairs to put a hold on passport applications seeking a change or renewal of gender marker, or new applications where the gender marker doesn’t match the one assigned at birth.
As a dedicated cinema enthusiast, allow me to share my own experience that mirrors Schafer’s. For years, I’ve consistently labeled all my documents with the “female” gender marker since I first got my driver’s license about a decade ago. However, last year in Barcelona, I unfortunately lost my passport. To replace it, I had to visit the Federal Passport Agency here in L.A. Recently, I found myself back at the agency due to this unfortunate circumstance, and I can attest that the process was just as routine as before. I filled out all the necessary forms, marked “female” as I always do. But when I received my new passport today, I was dismayed to find that they had changed the marker to male instead.
I was shocked, because I don’t know, I just didn’t think it was actually going to happen.
What Schafer’s Passport Change Could Mean for Other Trans Individuals
Schafer stated that she hadn’t altered the gender on her birth certificate, which might be why the present government felt it was essential to modify her passport according to Trump’s executive order. Many individuals may not realize the challenges involved in modifying documents like IDs, passports, and birth certificates to match a chosen name and gender. It takes significant time, money, and effort—and dealing with complex paperwork that can be hard to complete accurately. For most people, it’s impractical to change rarely-used documents such as birth certificates. However, Trump’s executive order may create problems for those who lack the means to navigate these bureaucratic procedures.
According to Schafer, altering her passport’s gender marker at random doesn’t influence how she perceives herself – however, it will introduce complexities into her life in various aspects. In her words, “I don’t care if they put an M on my passport,” expressing that this change does not bother her, but acknowledges the additional difficulties it might bring about.
My identity as a transgender person remains unchanged, yet it adds an extra layer of difficulty to my life. Next week, when I travel abroad with my new passport, I expect to encounter situations where I might need to disclose my trans status more frequently than desired or required, especially at border control checkpoints.
In her statement, she emphasized that although her own journey as a trans person comes with some advantages, other individuals in the same community may face extra challenges because of their individual circumstances. To conclude, Schafer expressed her feelings in the video by saying, “Trans people are beautiful and powerful. We will always be here, and I am unapologetically trans. This administration’s policies won’t erase our existence. While I don’t have a solution for this issue, I felt it necessary to speak up about it. This is a reality we must confront.
Zoe Schafer has consistently been an advocate for transgender rights, all while building an illustrious acting career. This recent obstacle hasn’t slowed her down one bit. She’s gearing up to reprise her role as Jules in the highly anticipated third season of Euphoria, and she will also make an appearance in the upcoming Amazon TV series, Blade Runner 2099, a continuation of the original Blade Runner movie and its sequel.
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2025-02-21 23:31