In other news, spending on climate-related provisions in the $1.75 trillion reconciliation bill will total about $500 billion according to the White House.
Meanwhile, the FDA has voted to authorize the use of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine in school-age kids from 5 to 11 years old.
Finally, the State Department has started issuing passports for non-binary or gender non-conforming Americans.
The U.S. special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights, Jessica Stern, said the decision brings the government documents in line with the “lived reality” that there is a wider spectrum of human sex characteristics than is reflected in the previous two designations. [...]
The department now also allows applicants to self-select their gender as male or female, no longer requiring them to provide medical certification if their gender did not match that listed on their other identification documents.
The United States joins a handful of countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Nepal and Canada, in allowing its citizens to designate a gender other than male or female on passports.
Speaking of which, I can finally obtain a passport! I mean, I can't afford one right now, but the option is there for me. Some of my original documents such as my birth certificate literally cannot be updated because I was born in Kentucky and their laws are very restrictive. Most people I meet are very shocked and confused by the patchwork of state laws we have in this country that lead to very different outcomes for transgender people.