The Social Security Administration announced this week that people will now be able to select the sex that most aligns with their “gender identity” in records going forward.
According to a press release from the SSA, the policy was created to be more inclusive to “transgender” and “gender diverse” Americans.
“The Social Security Administration’s Equity Action Plan includes a commitment to decrease administrative burdens and ensure people who identify as gender diverse or transgender have options in the Social Security Number card application process,” said Acting Commissioner Kijakazi in a statement. “This new policy allows people to self-select their sex in our records without needing to provide documentation of their sex designation.”
Those who choose to update their sex marker in Social Security’s records will be required to apply for a replacement SSN card. They will be required to show documentation to prove their identity, but will not need to provide medical documentation to show their sex designation.
“The agency will accept the applicant’s self-identified sex designation of either male or female, even if it is different from the sex designation shown on identity documents, such as a passport or state-issued driver’s license or identity card. SSN cards do not include sex markers,” the press release added.
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SSA added that the agency is “exploring” a future system to support an “X” gender marker who those who do not identify as female or male.
The agency’s decision follows measures enacted by other federal agencies under the Biden administration. Earlier this year, the Department of State announced that Americans could use an “X” gender marker on passports going forward. The TSA announced that it would offer the “X” option for Trusted Traveler applications.
In June, Townhall reported a study published by UCLA’s Williams Institute claimed that 0.5 percent of all American adults, 1.3 million people, and about 300,000 youth ages 13 to 17, identify as transgender.
"This report shows trans people live everywhere and their needs and concerns need to be listened to and be addressed in the public policy landscape," Jody L. Herman, one of the study's authors, told Reuters at the time the study came out.
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