Chip Roy introduces legislation to eliminate ‘X’ gender marker on US passports

EXCLUSIVE — Travelers seeking to leave the country may no longer be able to choose an alternative gender identity marker on their U.S.-issued passport under new legislation being introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) on Wednesday.

Under the Passport Sanity Act, the State Department would be prohibited from issuing a passport or other travel documents that contain the unspecified "X" gender designation, according to a copy of the legislation obtained by the Washington Examiner. The proposal comes just one year after the Biden administration announced it would allow passport applicants to self-select their gender identity without submitting medical documentation even if the designation did not match other government documents.

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"There are two sexes — male and female — and government documents like passports should reflect that self-evident truth," Roy said. "Passports exist to accurately identify people, not play pretend with radical gender ideology. Anti-science, radical gender ideology has no place in our government, and it's time for Congress to step in and restore sanity."

The legislation would require that all passports and passport cards only list "male" or "female" gender designations and would prohibit the State Department from issuing cards with "X" gender markers. It's not clear whether passports that have already been issued with the "X" marker will still be accepted, but the legislation would block the State Department from producing more.

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The State Department announced in March 2022 that it would begin offering the unspecified gender marker, making it the first federal government agency to do so. The option was created for individuals who identify as nonbinary or gender nonconforming as a way to be "respectful of individuals’ privacy while advancing inclusion," according to the department.

The bill is set to be introduced in the House on Wednesday, where it's likely to garner support among the Republican majority who have sought to advance similar legislation earlier this year. However, it's not likely to come forward for a vote in the Democratic-led Senate.