Actor Hunter Schafter, best known for her role as Jules in the TV series Euphoria, has shared her feelings about the US government changing everyone’s passports to reflect the gender they were assigned at birth.
Schafer said she rarely posts online, but receiving her new passport had been “a harsh reality check”.
Following the US President’s executive order that the US would only recognise the genders of male and female, and insist people were recognised as their birth gender on official documents and government interactions, the US passport office had stopped all applications for new passports or renewals from people who are transgender.
Schafer said her first reaction when she heard the announcement was “I’ll believe it when I see it”, noting that what President Trump says, and what actually eventuates are often very different.
When the actor and models new passport arrived though, her gender on her official documentation had been changed back to male.
Schafer said she’d officially changed her gender markers as a teenager, and she’s only ever had a driver’s license and passport have listing her as being female.
Schafer said she wasn’t making her post to create drama, or seek consolation, but more to mark the moment. She also acknowledged that she has a lot of privilege as a celebrity and with her ethnic background.
“I don’t give a f**k that they put an ‘M’ on my passport. It doesn’t change really anything about me or my transness, however, it does make life a little harder.” Schafer said.
“I’m pretty sure it’s gonna come along with having to ‘out myself’ to border patrol agents and that whole gig, much more often than I would like to, or is really necessary.”
The actor said she was concerned about moves from the US government, saying slowly things were beginning to change and they echoed historical moves towards fascism.
The actor said people needed to be more aware of the moves that were being made by the Trump administration.
“It’s not just talk, this is real, it’s happening.” Schafer said.
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