Hunter Schafer Details Gender-Affirming Surgery and Past Passport Issues

Transgender actress Hunter Schafer has revealed she underwent gender-affirming bottom surgery in December. Schafer, who is known for her role as Jules in the HBO series "Euphoria," shared details about the procedure in a recent interview with Elle.

"I just had bottom surgery in December, which was amazing, and I love it so much," Schafer stated in the interview. The term "bottom surgery" refers to a range of gender-affirming procedures performed on the genitals, which can be either feminizing or masculinizing, according to UChicago Medicine.

Schafer also reflected on a past incident where her passport listed her gender as 'male' instead of 'female' during the Trump administration. She expressed concern that such changes could make life more difficult for transgender individuals, particularly when interacting with border control agents. "This is the first time this has happened to me since I changed my gender marker. We're coming up on a decade now or something," she said, noting her privilege as a celebrity who can "pass" and still encountered this issue.

In the past, Schafer has been an advocate for transgender rights. In 2016, at age 18, she protested North Carolina's "bathroom bill," which restricted bathroom access for transgender individuals. She held a sign at a rally that read, "Trans youth exist, are valid, [and] deserve basic human rights."

During her recovery from the recent surgery, Schafer shared that she had to limit her movement, taking no more than 150 steps per day. She spent her recovery period in a rented apartment, visited by friends and family.