This week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) declared that it will acknowledge only "two biological genders."
On Wednesday, April 2, press release The agency stated that it is "revising the USCIS Policy Manual to make clear that it acknowledges just two biological sexes: male and female."
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The announcement referred to President Donald Trump’s statement dated January 20, titled "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government."
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The president’s anti-trans order Similarly stated that the U.S. government acknowledges just two genders: male and female. They incorrectly portrayed efforts aimed at challenging the traditional understanding of biological sex as major assaults on women’s dignity, safety, and welfare.
Within the numerous anti-trans directives, the order mandated that governmental bodies "cease providing federal funds for gender ideology." It stated that "'sex' should be understood strictly as an unchangeable biological designation of either male or female" and emphasized that this term "does not equate to nor encompass 'gender identity.'" Additionally, it stipulated that every form used by federal agencies which includes information about someone's sex must offer only two choices: "male or female."
Prior to Wednesday’s announcement, USCIS added an X gender option. On intake, it’s an application form designed for gender-nonconforming immigrants seeking naturalization. This modification was announced nearly a year ago, back in April 2024.
However, in its Wednesday announcement, USCIS stated that according to their updated rules, they "regard an individual’s gender based primarily on what is typically recorded on the birth certificate completed around the time of birth. Should this document indicate a gender other than male or female, then for determining gender, the agency would rely on additional supporting documentation."
As the Los Angeles Blade The USCIS Policy Manual characterizes "secondary evidence" as "documentation that can indicate a fact is probably accurate, though this information does not come from an original, official source." As stated Boundless That might involve medical records or other governmental identification papers.
Although the agency stated that it would not "refuse benefits solely because the person requesting them didn’t correctly specify their gender," it will provide documents where the 'gender' section remains empty or shows a gender differing from what the applicant was initially designated with at birth.
There are solely two genders—male and female," stated Tricia McLaughlin, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at DHS. "President Trump pledged to bring about a commonsense transformation, which encompasses ensuring that US government policies align with basic biology. Managing our immigration system effectively is crucial for national security and should not be used as a platform to propagate or indulge in ideologies that cause lasting harm to children and undermine the dignity, safety, and welfare of actual women.
Bridget Crawford, who serves as the Law and Policy Director at Immigration Equality, described the policy as "cruel and unnecessary," stating further that it "endangers transgender, nonbinary, and intersex immigrants," as reported. Blade Crawford stated that by compelling individuals to possess identification papers that fail to represent their gender identity, the U.S. government exposes them to heightened risks of discrimination, harassment, and violence.
She mentioned that this policy will impact individuals' capacity to travel, work, obtain medical care, and lead their lives genuinely.
This isn't about 'common sense,'" Crawford stated. "It's about wiping out an entire community from the legal sphere altogether.
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