Social Security now allows individuals to self-select gender

By FATIMA HUSSEIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Individuals will be allowed to make sure their records with the Social Security Administration align with their gender identity under a plan announced Wednesday. The action, which is part of the agency’s “Equity Action Plan,” follows through on a March announcement to do so by the agency’s acting commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi. Kijakazi says 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.” It’s also part of a larger Biden administration-wide effort to increase acceptance of gender identity.