Hunter Schafer, a transgender woman and star of HBO’s hit series “Euphoria,” revealed that her newly issued U.S. passport incorrectly identifies her as male, even though she marked female on her application.
Hunter Schafer, the 26-year-old star of HBO’s “Euphoria,” was stunned to discover that her new U.S. passport incorrectly lists her as male despite her selecting female on her application.
“I was shocked,” Schafer said in a recent TikTok video, holding up her passport to display the M marker. She explained that after her bag was stolen in Barcelona, she received an emergency passport listing her as female.
However, when she applied for a new standard passport upon returning to the U.S., it was issued with the male designation. Schafer attributed the issue to policies implemented under President Donald Trump.
On his first day in office, Trump enacted an executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”
“As a result of this, which I wrote down because I wanna get it right, ‘The Bureau of Consular Affairs has frozen passport applications requesting a gender marker change or renewals or new applications within gender marker deferring from an applicant’s gender assigned at birth,” the actress stated.
The order, enacted by the White House, mandates that all U.S. passports reflect the biological sex assigned at birth, eliminating the option for an X marker.
Under these new regulations, applicants requesting a gender marker different from their birth record may experience delays, and those affected could be required to provide additional documentation.While existing passports with X markers or gender designations different from birth remain valid for travel until their expiration, all newly issued passports must comply with the updated rule.
With international travel on her horizon, Schafer voiced concerns about potential difficulties at border crossings. “I just didn’t think it was actually going to happen,” she said, criticizing the policies that led to the error on her passport.Schafer admitted that she initially dismissed the policy shift, believing it wouldn’t directly impact her. However, after seeing the changes firsthand, she acknowledged the broader implications for transgender individuals.
“I do believe it is a direct result of the administration our country is currently operating under,” she explained in her video. “I guess I’m just sort of scared of the way this stuff slowly gets implemented.”
Despite the potential travel complications, the actress remains undeterred. “It doesn’t change anything about me or my transness,” she affirmed, emphasizing that legal classifications do not define personal identity.
She expressed confidence that transgender individuals will continue to exist and be seen, regardless of restrictive policies. “A letter and a passport can’t change that,” she stated.