Marco Rubio suspends passport applications with ‘X’ sex markers: report

An internal State Department cable obtained by The Guardian revealed that Rubio issued instructions on Thursday for staff to implement new guidelines for official documentation. The email stated, “The policy of the United States is that an individual’s sex is not changeable.”

Under the directive, “sex, and not gender, shall be used” on official documents, including passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad. State Department staff were ordered to “suspend any application where the applicant is seeking to change their sex marker” from the definition provided under the executive order. This policy applies to both current and future passport applications.

Trump’s executive order, titled, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” declared that government-issued identification must reflect “an individual’s immutable biological classification as either male or female.”

The order stated, “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”

Since April 2022, the State Department has allowed passport applicants to select an “X” marker for gender identification, intended for those who identify as non-binary. While the White House confirmed that existing passports with an “X” designation remain valid, Rubio’s email indicated that “guidance on existing passports containing an X sex marker will come via other channels.”

The changes come as the Trump administration seeks to prioritize biological truth in federal policy.

“The erasure of sex in language and policy has a corrosive impact not just on women but on the validity of the entire American system,” the order said. “Basing Federal policy on truth is critical to scientific inquiry, public safety, morale, and trust in government itself.”