Social Security Administration makes it easier to change sex marker in records

By Tami Luhby, CNN & Miyoshi Price, KESQ

People can now choose their sex marker in their Social Security records, the Social Security Administration announced Wednesday, October 19, 2022. It’s the latest step in the Biden administration’s effort to be more inclusive of transgender Americans.

A Palm Springs woman celebrates these updates as she remembers when she was making her sex marker change with social security. She calls it an “uphill battle”. The process of acquiring the medical and legal documents to change her sex marker was not easy. “The SSA Equity Action Plan will help so many people like me and get governmentally recognized for being who they truly are meant to be,” says Jada Miranda.

While people will still need to show documentation to prove their identity, they will no longer need to provide medical or legal records of their sex designation, the agency said.

“The Social Security Administration’s Equity Action Plan includes 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,” said Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi.

The move is part of the Biden administration’s push to make it easier for transgender people to access government services and to increase their visibility in data. Changing their designation in Social Security records will improve their experience accessing retirement benefits, obtaining health care and applying for jobs, according to a White House fact sheet issued in March.

As part of the effort, the Department of State began allowing US citizens to select an “X” as their gender marker on their passport applications in April. The Department of Homeland Security implemented an option for “another gender” for the TSA PreCheck application process in July.

To learn more about the updated process, be sure to tune in to KESQ News Channel 3 at 5 pm.

Accepting self-identified sex designation

The Social Security Administration will accept people’s self-identified sex designation of either male or female even if it differs from the sex listed on other identity documents, such as passports or state-issued driver’s licenses.

Those who update their sex in Social Security’s records will have to apply for a replacement card. Social Security cards do not include sex designation.

The agency is exploring updating its policy and systems to allow an “X” designation, but people cannot currently include a nonbinary or unspecified sex marker.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.