Biden administration marks Transgender Day of Visibility with support
The Biden administration has acknowledged International Transgender Day of Visibility with measures supporting transgender Americans who are being confronted with nationwide efforts to stifle their rights.
President Joe Biden has demonstrated renewed support of transgender Americans on a key date, highlighting the “worth and dignity” of this minority demographic.
It comes as Americans will be allowed to choose an X for gender on their passport applications beginning on April 11, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday, March 31.
The change is one of several announced by the Biden administration just one day after the Republican governors of Oklahoma and Arizona signed bills banning transgender athletes from girls’ school sports.
This follows the State Department’s June announcement that U.S. citizens could select their gender on applications without having to submit medical documentation. In October 2021, it issued the first American passport with an “X” gender marker, which gives nonbinary, intersex and gender-nonconforming people an alternative to male or female on their travel document.
“The administration once again condemns the proliferation of dangerous anti-transgender legislative attacks that have been introduced and passed in state legislatures around the country,” the White House said in a statement.
“Every American deserves the freedom to be themselves. But far too many transgender Americans still face systemic barriers, discrimination, and acts of violence,” the White House continued.
The Biden administration will roll out more protections for transgender people including offering visibility in federal data, easing travel restrictions, providing resources for transgender children and their families, and improving access to federal services and benefits.
