New Delhi:
Zaya Perysian, a US-based Transgender influencer, has alleged that she has been forced to identify as male under the Donald Trump administration. Zaya claims that the gender on her passport has been changed to male while all her other documents identify her as female. This comes after Trump, during his inaugural address, announced that there will only be two genders in the US – male and female.
In an executive order titled “Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government” signed on January 20, it was clarified that “sex” shall refer to an individual’s immutable biological classification as either male or female. “Sex” is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of “gender identity.”
The executive categorically states that gender identity cannot be recognised as a replacement for sex.
In a recent video posted on Instagram, Zaya shared what it is “like being a transgender under this new administration.” Sharing evidence, Zaya showed a passport with her picture and “a big ugly M” written under the header “sex”.
“All of my other documents are updated to female and I have been fully, surgically updated to female,” she said.
Zaya read the government letter elaborating an update to her passport: “The sex was corrected on your passport application. The changes were made for one of the following reasons – to match our record.”
Zaya was born male but later underwent a sex reassignment surgery and now identifies as female. She says she had a passport as a kid and used it once. “If you have had a passport in the past that displays the opposite sex then they will not honour your gender change. Now obviously I will be seeking legal action,” she added.
The digital video creator reiterated that there is nothing about her anymore that represents “male”. But the Trump administration’s denying to put “female” on her passport put her in “danger while travelling.”
“I am in danger now,” she claimed.
Zaya believes this is to scare people like her as the government doesn’t want them in public life. “They want us to hide in fear and be scared of them. But trust me, I am not going anywhere. Trans people have been here and are staying here and I will fight this. I am not scared. I am not gonna cry.”
The trans creator said it is a “direct violation” of her rights as an American citizen under the Equal Rights Amendment.
“I submitted a passport application that was intended to update my gender marker to female. That exact application is still available on the website to update your gender,” she said, adding that this is just the beginning.