Hunter Schafer has revealed that the gender marker on her new passport was changed to list her as male—a shift she attributes to a recent executive order under the new presidential administration.
The Euphoria star, 26, shared her experience in a social media video, explaining that she had to obtain a new passport after her previous one was stolen while filming in Spain last year.
“Now, to specify, my gender markers were first changed in my teens, when I first got my driver’s license, and then passports following all have been female since then,” she explained. “Hasn’t really been a problem.”
However, to her shock, her newly issued passport now displays an “M” for male.
A Shift in Policy
Schafer noted that she wasn’t sharing her experience to incite panic or seek sympathy, but rather to shed light on a disturbing reality.
“I was shocked. I just didn’t think it was actually going to happen,” she said, suggesting that her unchanged birth certificate may have played a role in the switch.
“I do believe it is a direct result of the administration our country is currently operating under,” Schafer added. “And I guess I’m just sort of scared of the way this stuff slowly gets implemented.”
While she made it clear that the incorrect gender marker does not change who she is, she acknowledged that it will create unnecessary challenges, particularly when traveling abroad.
“I’m pretty sure it’s going to come along with having to out myself to border patrol agents … much more often than I would like to or is really necessary,” she said.
Laverne Cox Speaks Out on Trans Rights
Schafer is not the only trans star raising concerns about growing restrictions on transgender rights.
While promoting her new series Clean Slate, actress Laverne Cox highlighted the increasing challenges facing trans people in the U.S.
“Executive orders limiting our rights, 26 states banning gender-affirming care for young people, banning us from the military, from bathrooms … there’s this whole anti-trans thing, and we’re less than 1% of the population,” Cox said.
She also shared a comment she recently saw online: “They’re worried about the wrong 1%.”
As Schafer prepares to travel internationally with her new passport, she remains uncertain about the difficulties ahead—but she’s determined to raise awareness about what this policy shift could mean for trans individuals across the country.