Biden Administration Announces Measures To Advance Equality For Transgender Americans

On the last day of Pride Month, the Biden Administration announced a slew of measures to advance equality, inclusion, and opportunity for transgender Americans.

It includes the creation of a new White House-led Inter-agency Working Group that will coordinate policies to advance safety, economic opportunity, and inclusion for transgender Americans.

To help inform the priorities of the Working Group, in the coming weeks the White House will host listening sessions with transgender women of color and transgender advocates to hear their policy recommendations for this cause.

The State Department is updating agency procedures to remove burdensome medical documentation requirements for transgender Americans who wish to update their gender markers on their passports and other citizenship or identity documents. The State Department is beginning the process to add a third gender marker for gender non-conforming, non-binary and intersex Americans, and will work closely with inter-agency partners to ensure smooth travel experience for all passport holders.

President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order to ensure the Federal government is a model employer for transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary employees. The order charges agencies with building inclusive cultures for transgender employees

The Department of Veterans Affairs is beginning the regulatory process to remove outdated restrictions that prevent transgender veterans from accessing comprehensive gender-affirming care through the VA medical system.

The White House released a new toolkit with best practices that highlights steps that agencies across the Federal government are taking to combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

These announcements build on critical steps that the Biden Administration has taken to advance equality for transgender Americans, including reversing the discriminatory ban on transgender service members imposed by former President Donald Trump.

Transgender people, especially transgender women and girls of color, face epidemic levels of violence, discrimination, and stigma in the United States, according to the White House.

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