If Gen Z has one thing on lock, it’s the audacity, and that defiance has definitely come in handy during the Trump administration 2.0. Just about everyone is exhausted by these constantly unprecedented times, led by these constantly unpredictable world leaders, but gratefully, young people like trans rights activist, Zaya Perysian, are channelling disdain into life-changing legal action.
You may have seen Zaya on TikTok, where she shared that she was suing the current presidential administration after she was “rudely given a passport that says male because of [her] transgender identity.” After Zaya refused to settle for an incorrect male passport (“It ultimately comes down to freedom and safety,” she explained to me), the ACLU came on board to represent her case. And, spoiler alert, they won that shit.
I spoke with Zaya Perysian about her historic passport lawsuit (and how she slayed her passport pic so hard).
Who is Zaya Perysian?
What happened with the transgender US passport case against Trump?
On his first day in office (busy boy!) Donald Trump signed an executive order including a Passport Policy instructing the Department of Homeland Security to “require that government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards,” match the sex of trans, non-binary, and intersex passport holders, “at conception.” ICYMI, this is one of this admin’s many targeted attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community, according to research by the ACLU.
@zayaperysian MAJOR LAWSUIT UPDATE🥹🙏🏽 words cannot express my gratitude for the @ACLU The fight is not over !! #passport #lawsuit ♬ original sound – Zaya
Zaya and five other trans/non-binary plaintiffs (AKA Orr v. Trump) challenged this executive order by filing a lawsuit. From there, Zaya chose to work with the ACLU “because they took me on pro bono…they covered it all,” and “they’re amazing [to work with],” she told me (JIC anyone was concerned that their ACLU donations might be going to waste). Thanks to the “well-rounded and educated” approach of the ACLU, the six complainants won a preliminary injunction to receive a passport matching their gender identity in April 2025, “and that is a federal order, honey,” Zaya joked on TikTok. In June, the injunction was expanded to a class action ruling, meaning anyone seeking a passport aligning with their gender identity is now legally empowered to do so, classified as a “critical victory” by the ACLU.
In our conversation, Zaya laid out why she thought it was worth it to pursue the case, center-stage: “It’s not the president’s business who I am, how I present, and how I choose to live my life. I should have the freedom to exist as I am and have that reflected.” Zaya also pointed out “how dangerous it would be” if she were “to carry around a male document” when she “present[s] as female 24/7.” Most important of all, as successfully argued by the ACLU, “it’s just simply unconstitutional and dangerous and unprecedented” to restrict “trans people, as citizens of the United States,” from “traveling freely without fear.”
Transgender Passport Case Win Reactions
It wasn’t until Zaya started being requested for interviews with CNN and Reuters that she realized, “Oh, this is history. This isn’t just something that I’m doing for fun. This is real. It has real life implications and potentially millions of people will be tuned in to the outcome of this,” which she thinks of as “so humbling.” And once Zaya’s historic case made front-page news, she was met with an overwhelming response from the community.
At first, “people were happy but confused because we had the win, but it only applied to six plaintiffs.” Still, Zaya recalled, “that gave people hope” along with “a lot of uncertainty.” So it was no surprise that “when the class got certified and it applied to all trans people, just the comments and the DMs were very humbling and very eye-opening to how many people were really tuning into this case and relying on a positive outcome,” Zaya shared. While it’s nice getting recognition from A-listers in the trans community (“Laverne Cox, she reposted a bunch of my videos. She’s amazing.”), the most rewarding part of the win has been “the everyday dolls…sending me the love and support and showing me how much this has meant to them.”
What’s Next For Zaya?
With Zaya being both gorg and poised to continue making history, I couldn’t help but point out her story could be told on film one day. Who would she want to play her in a biopic? “If I had to pick [someone else],” Zaya considered, “I’d probably pick Yas Demand,” a UK fan-favorite from Heartstoppers. But her real top choice? “I would play myself. She’s an actress,” Zaya coyly plugged herself. FWIW, Zaya wouldn’t be the first aspiring actress involved in a landmark case for trans rights; before her fame, Hunter Schafer was the youngest complainant in the case to repeal HB2, casually known as The Bathroom Bill. Zaya thought it was “really cool” when she learned she and Hunter shared one of the same lawyers.
But even with the case’s success, Zaya’s work as an activist isn’t over. When I asked her what was next on her political icon agenda, she clarified, “I’m not done advocating for the passport case specifically because it still has quite a ways to go, and it could even end up in the Supreme Court. We don’t know how far it’s going to go yet,” in terms of the rollout and process of getting citizens their correct passport. Zaya plans to keep advocating and informing her community as that process unfolds and the case evolves.
Zaya also told me that there are plenty of other cases for her to spread the word about because there’s “this fight we’re having with this administration in regards to trans people” that she sadly doesn’t see stopping any time soon. So, Zaya plans to keep herself and her large audience up to date on the many different parts of “being trans in America and the challenges that we’re facing.” This includes highlighting issues like trans youth healthcare. One way Zaya is already keeping her audience locked in is by collaborating on special content, like her “Read All About It” Pride Campaign with FINESSE Studios, which Zaya starred in and co-directed.
How To Take A Hot Passport Photo
ICYMI, Zaya’s (gender-reaffirming) passport photo eats. I had to ask how she managed to slay so hard under fluorescently lit conditions. “You need a lot more makeup than you would think,” Zaya broke it down for me. “People make the mistake of going into a passport photo, or any type of ID photo, [with] their little soft natural glam,” but Zaya advises baddies clock in to “that 2015, 2016 full beat, full coverage,” because “the camera’s really going to pick that up and then you’re going to look cunt, basically.” Soooo, if you want a passport photo that doesn’t lean mugshot, you’ll probably want to break out that unrecognizable makeup routine, queen.
