Transgender Travelers, Job Hunters Applaud New Passport Regulations
The White House announced yesterday that the State Department is changing its gender regulations for those applying for passports.
Timed to coincide with LGBT Pride month, the State Department announcement means that transgender individuals now need only a doctor's note to change the listed gender on their passport. Under previous regulations, a trans person needed to undergo surgery before their passport could be changed. With the new rules in place, short-term passports will also be available to travellers in the process of gender transition.
The new policy is based on recommendations from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and has been applauded by groups such as the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund. TLDEF executive director Michael D. Silverman called the change an important advancement for the safety of trans people traveling abroad with identification that does not match their physical appearance:
Transgender Americans face extreme danger when traveling abroad in the many countries that are hostile to them. Adoption of this safety-focused policy is a giant step forward in protecting transgender Americans abroad, and in fulfilling the State Department's commitment to protect all Americans when they travel, work or live overseas.
From transgenderlegal.org via clp.ly
Trans men and women looking for jobs are also happy about the announcement. Since a passport is all that's needed to fill out an IRS I-9 form, many trans people will no longer have to out themselves in order to be hired for most jobs.
The new policy went into effect this morning.
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