Airlines in their internal information system are to mark passengers with an “M” or an “F" rather than "X."

Question

This article is extremely relevant to people who travel often and/or will be travelling in the near future. In 2022, travelers who do not identify with either sex were allowed to choose a third option for their passports: “X.” However, under Executive Order 14168, the current administration has stated that the sex listed on a U.S. citizen’s passport must match the sex listed on their original birth certificate. This new rule took effect on July 14th, 2025, but airlines were given a 90-day grace period in which the “X” marker was still valid. From now on, only “M” or “F” is valid, and travelers who have the “X” marker on their physical passport must choose one when entering or exiting the U.S.

Answer 1

The claim says that under Executive Order 14168 which begins July 14, 2025 only “M” or “F” sex markers are valid on U.S. passports and that travelers with an “X” marker must now choose one when entering or exiting the United States. After tracing this claim back to primary sources I found it is partially true but just a bit overstated.

I took a look at Executive Order 14168 (White House, Jan. 20, 2025), which directs federal agencies to recognize only male and female sex classifications on federal documents:https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/executive-order-14168/ I then checked out the U.S. Department of State passport guidance and they have confirmed that the State Department is going to no longer issue new passports with an “X” marker as it will now require passports to reflect the sex listed on an applicant’s birth certificate https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/selecting-your-gender-marker.html. When tracing the claim further I couldn’t find any official documentation stating that past passports with an “X” marker were deemed immediately invalid. State Department materials show that existing passports remain valid until expiration. The New York Times (Oct. 20, 2025) article referenced in the post talks about airline system updates and implementation timelines but it does not clearly state that all current “X” passports are void https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/us/airlines-passports-x-markers.htmlThe evidence supports that the administration eliminated the “X” option for new passports (Executive Order 14168; U.S. Department of State). Although the claim does overstate by implying that all travelers with an “X” marker must immediately change their documents, no Government sources that I could find clearly support that conclusion.