Transgender Texans barred from changing gender on driver’s licenses

Transgender residents in Texas are no longer able to change the gender listed on their driver’s licenses after a recent policy change by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The new policy instructs employees not to accept court orders or amended birth certificates for gender changes. People who have already changed their gender designation on their driver’s licenses will not be affected unless there was a clerical error. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas criticized the policy change, calling it an attack on the privacy, safety, and dignity of transgender residents. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has pushed back against pro-LGBTQ+ policies at various levels and sought information on people requesting gender changes on state-issued documents. Last year, Paxton’s office made moves to prevent gender changes on official documents. In the 2023 legislative session, a bill was authored to prohibit changing the gender marked on birth certificates, but it did not pass in the House. Other Republican-controlled states have also limited gender changes on state-issued documents. The policy change in Texas has raised concerns about privacy and surveillance, as transgender Texans may now be subject to involuntary surveillance for simply trying to update a government document.

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