When RuPaul’s Drag Race queen Aja recently filed for a replacement passport, her documents were reissued with an “M” gender marker, indicating male, even though her previous passport was issued with an “F” gender marker for female. She has pledged to file a lawsuit against the United States for violating her rights to free speech and equal protection under the law.
The 31-year-old rap artist and drag queen — best known for competing on the ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and on the 3rd and 10th seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars — came out as transgender in 2021. Since then, she said she updated her documentation to reflect that, including a reissued passport declaring her as female. So, it came as a shock when her passport returned with a male gender marker despite never requesting that her gender marker be changed.
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Her situation mirrors other incidents this year with trans celebrities, including Hunter Schaeffer. In February, Schaeffer had applied for a new passport, only for the gender marker to be issued as male. Trans musicians such as Canadian singer Bells Larsen had to cancel entire tours owing to the United States’ anti-trans policies for visa applications.
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Aja took to social media to update her fans.
