The Latest Attacks On Trans Rights Just Hit Hunter Schafer

Hunter Schafer — model, actress, and one of Hollywood’s most prominent trans women — just shared that her brand-new passport misgenders her. Yes, in 2025. Yes, after years of progress that made it easier for trans people to have IDs that actually match their identities. And yes, after Hunter has been, by her own admission, one of the most “privileged trans women” in America. If this can happen to her, what does that mean for everyone else?

In a TikTok Story, Hunter revealed that when she received her new passport, it listed her sex as “male,” whereas her previous passport listed her sex as “female.” She clarified that she’s not trying to “fearmonger” or create drama, but the reality is pretty grim: This wasn’t just some clerical error — it’s the direct result of a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January 2025.

The order, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” (yes… really), reversed the Biden-era policy that allowed trans people to select their correct gender markers on federal IDs. Now, passports will reflect the sex assigned at birth unless someone has undergone specific medical procedures — which can be an impossible and invasive requirement for many trans people.

Hunter is handling it with grace (and a healthy dose of IDGAF). But she also made a point to highlight the bigger issue: This isn’t just about her. This is about every trans person in the U.S. suddenly having to justify their existence to government agencies, border patrol, and anyone else who demands to see “proper” documentation. And as we’ve seen time and time again, when the government targets trans people, it’s only a matter of time before everyday transphobia escalates.

Hunter Schafer Reacts To New Passport Listing Her Sex As Male Instead Of Female

Hunter went on to acknowledge that she’s in a position of privilege: She’s white, she’s famous, and she “passes” as a cis woman — but none of that protected her from this blatant rollback of trans rights. “No one, no matter how wealthy or white or pretty or whatever, is excluded,” she says in the video.

While Hunter emphasized that this won’t change her sense of self — “It doesn’t change really anything about me or my transness” — she did acknowledge that it’s going to make her life harder. Specifically, she now expects to have to out herself to border patrol agents any time she travels, a stressful and potentially dangerous (and honestly, just dehumanizing) situation for trans people. And she’s well aware that if this is happening to her, it’s happening to other trans people who have fewer resources and protections. And though she emphasizes that she’s not trying to make anyone panic, it makes sense if people are panicking.

This is just one of the first major cases we’re seeing under the new executive order, but unfortunately, it won’t be the last. The policy represents a concerning shift toward forcing trans people back into bureaucratic closets (and sometimes even forcing them out of them), and it raises a terrifying question: If the government can so easily erase someone’s gender identity on paper, what’s next?