Today is a big day for me. I just got my passport in the mail! My renewed passport that finally has my chosen name and gender. Like many Transgender people, I was really nervous that I would be harassed in the process of updating my gendered information and potentially denied all together. Given that the Federal government and most US states do not include gender identity and expression in their anti-discrimination laws and the oppressive nature of many of our national security policies, I feel so fortunate to have obtained a US passport that matches my true identity, hassle and persecution-free.
Holy crap that is not the experience of so very many people. Scores of Trans, Gender Queer and Two-Spirit folks are denied passports and other government documents every year because of bigotry or are unable to meet the requirements because of poverty. And so many of our friends, family and neighbors who were not born in this country but nevertheless live, work and pay taxes here (income tax is not the only way to contribute financially to this country’s well-being) are denied basic civil liberties and human rights because they don’t have access to various government-issued documents like the one I hold in my hand right now.
This is less of a call to action than a call for reflection. Yes, issuing and controlling government documents is a way for a country to manage its infrastructure and national security. But Visas, Passports, Social Security cards and State IDs are more than security measures; they impact our ability to access basic institutions and opportunities that allow us to survive and thrive.
If we as a nation are to live up to the promise of liberty and justice for all, we must reject the impulse to use security measures intended to preserve freedom as a means of restricting it.
