Trans Texans Shafted: Say Goodbye to Gender Changes on IDs

In a move that's sure to send the libs into a tizzy, the Texas Department of Public Safety has decided that trans Texans can no longer change the sex on their driver's licenses. Because, you know, who needs to be who they truly are when you can just be what the government tells you to be?

Sheri Gipson, the Driver License Division Chief, dropped the bombshell in an internal memo on Tuesday, stating that court orders and amended birth certificates are now as useless as a chocolate teapot when it comes to changing your gender marker. But don't worry, if you've already made the switch, you're safe—unless there was a clerical error. Because bureaucracy loves a good loophole.

When the American-Statesman came knocking for a comment, Gipson and DPS officials were about as responsive as a brick wall. Shocking, I know.

Previously, the Texas DPS website had a whole section dedicated to the gender change process. But now, poof! It's disappeared, much like my faith in humanity.

Brad Pritchett, deputy director of Equality Texas, whined about the change, saying, "There are 92,900 trans adults in Texas. Just like people who change their names after marriage want their correct name on their license, trans Texans want their driver’s license to reflect their gender." KUT first reported the policy change, because apparently they have nothing better to report on.

According to the Texas State Law Library, changing your gender marker is about as straightforward as solving a Rubik's cube blindfolded. It's "largely undefined" and "confusing and uncertain." Basically, it's a crapshoot that varies by county. Good luck, suckers! Here's their resource page, not that it'll do you any good.

Last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton went on a witch hunt for data on trans Texans requesting gender changes. Because why not invade some privacy while you're at it? Pritchett called the DPS move a hit to "dignity" and said Texans will now be subject to "involuntary surveillance." Boo-hoo.

Paxton, always the hero we need, has been fighting against pro-LGBTQ+ policies like it's his job. Oh wait, it is. Last week, he vowed to fight against new Title IX interpretations that give "favored status" to sexual orientation and gender identity. His office didn't respond to the American-Statesman, probably because they were too busy planning their next attack on human rights.

During the 2023 legislative session, state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, tried to ban gender changes on birth certificates. The bill passed in the Senate but died in the House. Here's the deets.

Other red states like Arkansas, Kansas, Tennessee, Montana, and Florida have also been giving the middle finger to trans rights. In Oklahoma, a 2021 executive order by Gov. Kevin Stitt to ban nonbinary birth certificates has been bouncing around federal appellate courts. Because who needs freedom of expression when you can have bigotry instead?

So there you have it, folks. Another day, another dollop of discrimination in the great state of Texas. Yeehaw!