Hunter Schafer Highlights Passport Gender Marker Issue at Spirit Awards

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Hunter Schafer, the star of HBO’s “Euphoria,” addressed the ongoing issues surrounding gender identification in passports during an event on February 22, 2025. The 26-year-old transgender actor revealed in a video posted the previous day that her new passport was issued with a male gender marker, despite her previous identification as female.

Schafer spoke to The Associated Press on the red carpet at the Spirit Awards, emphasizing the importance of awareness regarding the challenges faced by the transgender community. “It’s important to just keep track of where things are in our country,” she said.

The issue stems from an executive order instituted by former President Donald Trump that narrowly defined gender as either male or female, restricting the options for federal documentation. Since 2021, the State Department has allowed an “X” gender marker to reflect non-binary identities but has not permitted changes between male and female markers, which has raised concerns among transgender individuals.

In an 8½-minute TikTok video, Schafer recounted how her previous passport, which she had planned to keep until her 30s, was stolen while she was filming in Spain. Upon applying for a new, permanent passport in Los Angeles, she marked “female” on her application but received a passport designating her as male because the department was following the executive order’s restrictions.

Schafer expressed her disbelief and frustration when she held up her passport page displaying the male marker in her video. “Because our president, you know, is a lot of talk, I was like, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.’ And today, I saw it,” she stated.

Despite the challenges posed by her new identification, Schafer emphasized that her identity as a transgender woman remains unchanged. “It doesn’t really change anything about me or my transness. However, it does make my life a little harder,” she acknowledged, noting she must travel next week using her new passport.

She also expressed gratitude for the support she received from her community: “I wasn’t even really looking for support, but I have an amazing community around me, and it’s one of the greatest blessings of my life.”

In a statement regarding her situation, the State Department reiterated its compliance with Trump’s executive order but declined to discuss individual cases due to privacy concerns.

Concluding her video, Schafer affirmed her pride in her identity: “Trans people are beautiful. We are never going to stop existing. I’m never going to stop being trans. A letter and a passport can’t change that.”

___ Associated Press journalist Andrew Dalton contributed reporting.