Federal Judge Bars Trump Gender ID Policy, Allows Transgender Passport Changes

Under President Donald Trump's administration in 2025, federal policies have reinforced a strict binary definition of sex, eliminating the option for an X gender marker on U.S. passports and barring transgender individuals from updating their sex designation, sparking legal challenges and concerns about safety and identity affirmation among transgender and nonbinary people. Concurrently, despite a landmark 2025 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognizing the rights of intersex individuals and condemning non-consensual surgeries, the Trump administration has shifted toward policies enforcing binary sex definitions while allowing irreversible surgeries on intersex infants, revealing a contradictory approach to bodily autonomy. The administration's broader agenda includes restricting gender-affirming care and transgender rights through numerous bills in Congress and states, reflecting a rise in public support for such measures influenced by authoritarian attitudes favoring social conformity. This rollback of LGBTQ+ rights contrasts with past landmark achievements like the 2015 Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, which was followed by backlash efforts to curtail LGBTQ+ civil rights. Advocacy groups and experts warn that these regressive policies undermine fundamental American values of freedom and human dignity, with transgender and intersex communities facing renewed legal and social hurdles. The ongoing struggle highlights the tension between expanding queer rights and conservative political forces aiming to restrict them.