Social Security Administration to now let people change their sex

US citizens can now self-select their sex on their social security number record, the Social Security Administration confirmed Wednesday. This move is part of their “Equality Action Plan.”

The plan is designed to make it easier for transgender people to change their sex designation by reversing a prior policy which required them to provide legal or medical documentation to verify their gender change.

The Social Security Administration will now accept self-identified sex designation of either male or female even if it’s different from their sex on other forms of identification, such as passports or state-issued driver’s licenses.

The move was announced by the Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi.

Kijakazi said the move is part of a “commitment to decrease administrative burdens and ensure people who identify as gender diverse, or transgender have options in the Social Security Number card application process.”

The move is also part of a wide-ranging plan by the Biden administration to recognize and respect gender identity.

In June, President Joe Biden signed an executive order which outlined steps to advance the LGBTQ equality, including “strengthening supports and protections for transgender Americans.”

The Social Security Administration will also be considering into an “X” designation for the SSN card application process for people who don’t identify as male or female.

The Department of Homeland Security has also updated its screening process at U.S. airports for transgender travelers and the Department of Housing and Urban Development has put in place protections which will allow homeless transgender people to use their preferred gender identity when applying for emergency shelter.