It’s been almost eight weeks since Texas-based Patrick sent in his passport application. There has been no word on whether it’ll be approved or not. Meanwhile, some of his most vital documents are being held by the government.
He and his wife married in 2022, and both applied for new passports so they could finally take the honeymoon they postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While his wife’s passport was approved in about a week, Patrick received a letter that his application was put on hold.
Sent in with his application – which he double-checked and had proofread by friends – was his birth certificate and gender change court order that stated his identity as male. “It’s exhausting. I’m disappointed. I’m frustrated,” he told USA TODAY. Some sources are identified by first name only out of safety and privacy concerns.
Among President Donald Trump’s wave of executive orders when he assumed office was for the federal government to “recognize only two sexes, male and female,” and that “these sexes are not changeable.” Government agencies, including the U.S. State Department, are currently enforcing the policy for all government-issued identification documents like visas, passports, and Global Entry cards.