In brief
In a revealing TikTok post, Hunter Schafer, a transgender woman known for her role in HBO's Euphoria, expressed her disbelief after receiving a new US passport that categorizes her as male, despite indicating female on her application. Schafer, who lost her prior passport while filming abroad, was taken aback by the "M" designation on the document during what was supposed to be a routine replacement process.
In her video, the 26-year-old actress reflected on the restrictions posed by former President Donald Trump's executive order, which recognizes only two sexes based on birth certificates and eliminates the possibility of selecting "X" for non-binary individuals—an option introduced by the Biden administration in 2022. Schafer's initial disbelief was compounded by the reality of facing airport difficulties while trying to travel next week with the passport that doesn't match her gender identity.She commented on the broader implications of these policies, which she believes affect all transgender individuals, regardless of their socio-economic status. Having previously amended her gender markers on her driver’s license and passport as a teenager, she lamented that her birth certificate remains unaltered—a situation that complicates her identity verification, especially at border checks. Throughout her journey as an actor playing Jules Vaughn, a character navigating similar challenges, Schafer emphasized the need for visible conversations around transgender rights and the reality of living in a system that doesn't acknowledge their identities adequately. The US State Department reaffirmed that passports will only match the biological sex recorded at birth, underscoring a contentious debate surrounding gender identity and national policies.
