US immigration sparks outrage after adding new gender option to forms
Immigration applications for the United States have added a third gender option.
The updated application, available on the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website, lists male, female and “another gender identity” as options on the form.
While only male and female were available as choices on March 29, USCIS confirmed that the application is newly updated.
There was some backlash to the announcement from conservatives, who branded the move as “woke.”
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wrote on X: “The current priority of US Citizenship & Immigration Services isn’t to fix the mass illegal immigration crisis. It’s to introduce ‘a third gender option’ on their forms. Can’t make this stuff up.”
End Wokeness, a right-wing account with over 2.4 million followers asked: “Is this an April Fools tweet?”
Meanwhile another X user wrote: “Not, this is not an April Fool’s Day Joke. This is real. Our country is a trainwreck!”
It comes as President Biden and administration officials have been facing backlash over what critics have called pro-LGBTQ+ policies.
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Biden was accused by Conservatives of “betraying” Easter Sunday, which coincidentally fell on the same day as International Transgender Day of Visibility (ITDV).
The day, which has been held on March 31 every year since 2009, was marked by President Biden on X.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said: “Banning sacred truth and tradition, while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’, is outrageous and abhorrent…the American people are taking note.”
Responding to the speaker’s claims, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement: “As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American.”
He continued: “Sadly, it’s unsurprising politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful, and dishonest rhetoric. President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit.”
It comes as the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives and Democratic-majority Senate on Friday will scramble to beat a midnight government shutdown deadline by passing a $1.2 trillion bill keeping the government funded through September.
If they succeed, it will end a more-than-six-month battle over the scope of Washington’s spending for the fiscal year that began October 1.
If they fail, federal agencies will begin a partial shutdown, furloughing thousands of workers nationwide and abroad.