Transgender people in Florida are now barred from changing the gender marker on their driver’s licenses and could have them fully revoked.
In 2018, Florida adopted a policy which allowed individuals to modify the gender marker on their licenses by submitting a physician’s statement or court order. In 2021, this rule was expanded to allow registered nurses to also sign off on such permits. However, just last week, the state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) sent a memo to county tax collectors instructing them to not issue replacement ID’s or licenses for such requests, essentially barring transgender people from changing their gender marker entirely.
In addition, the memo stated that someone “misrepresenting” their gender (i.e. not using their sex assigned at birth) could constitute a case of criminal fraud. This could lead to legal action, as well as possible suspension or revocation of one’s driver’s license.
Outrage over the new rule has been fast and loud. Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried called it “disgusting.” Equality Florida, an advocacy group centered in Tampa, noted that this is yet another step towards Floridan conservatives’ ultimate goal of total trans erasure. In a statement, spokeperson Gina Duncan said, “The flawed DeSantis transgender erasure agenda will be settled in costly court cases needlessly paid for by Florida taxpayers while the transgender community suffers under the shameful stigma of this rhetoric.”
Indeed, this is only the last in a long series of anti-transgender legislation enacted in Florida in recent times. In the past year alone, Florida has implemented a bathroom ban, requested healthcare data on trans students, and introduced a bill which would allow government agencies to seize custody of transgender children. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who until recently was running as a presidential candidate, swore to expand his anti-LGBTQ+ policies to the entire United States were he to be elected.
Photo by Courtney Corlew on Unsplash
