The U.S. State Department said Thursday it will add a third gender to passports for Americans who identify as “non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming,” although the department added it will take time to implement.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement in a statement, saying the change is part of the Biden administration’s commitment “to promoting the freedom, dignity, and equality of all people – including LGBTQI+ persons.”
“We will be updating our procedures to allow applicants to self-select their gender as ‘M’ or ‘F’ and will no longer require medical certification if an applicant’s self-selected gender does not match the gender on their other citizenship or identity documents,” Blinken said.
The State Department, Blinken said, has begun moving toward “adding a gender marker for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming” persons applying for a passport or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA).
“We are evaluating the best approach to achieve this goal,” Blinken said.
Evangelist Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, criticized the move and urged Christians to pray for the nation, saying it needs divine intervention:
Blinken said the State Department is taking the steps to add a third gender “after considerable consultation with like-minded governments who have undertaken similar changes.”
“We also value our continued engagement with the LGBTQI+ community, which will inform our approach and positions moving forward,” Blinken said.
The State Department, he said, will “be working closely with its interagency partners to ensure as smooth a travel experience as possible for the passport holder.”
HD Editor’s Note: Why Is This News Biblically Relevant?
In his full response to the change on the US Passports, Franklin Graham stated that the Biden administration has “declared war on common sense” and insisted that they want everyone to “believe and go along with a lie”:
It is so disappointing that our government would fall for this kind of absurdity. They are now going to add a third possible gender option for people applying for a passport who don’t want to identify as a man or a woman. This administration seems to have declared war on common sense, and they want you, me, and everyone else to believe and go along with a lie. It is very sad and concerning. And it is another reminder of the desperate need for Christians to PRAY for our nation and all those in positions of leadership—whether we agree with them or not. We need God’s mercy and help.
Ken Ham in his recent article, “Feelings Do Not Determine Truth: ‘Modern Science’ Says There Are Six Sexes?,” explained that altering one’s gender is “ultimately a sinful rejection of God’s design”:
The “gender identities” so popular today are not biological sexes—they are determined by the feelings of the person claiming the gender identity. But feelings do not determine truth. Instead of relying on our feelings, we must turn to the Word of God for absolute truth and, by the power of God’s spirit and the gospel, line our feelings up with God’s Word and truth. And besides, because we are sinners (Romans 3:23) and our hearts are “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9), we can’t trust our feelings!
There are only two genders/sexes in humans: male and female (Genesis 1:27). That’s how God has made us, and trying to change one’s gender is ultimately a sinful rejection of God’s design.
Those who struggle with gender dysphoria don’t need chemicals, body mutilating surgery, cross-dressing clothes, new pronouns, and a new name—they need the Gospel message that changes hearts and lives for eternity and gives them a new identity rooted in Christ.
