The folks at the National Center for Transgender Equality brought our attention to a new proposed policy at the Maryland Vehicle Administration (MVA) that could move backwards decades in its policy for transgender folks who need to change their drivers license. Via Equality Maryland:

The current policy states that to change the gender marker, an applicant must provide a physician or psychologist's report to confirm that the applicant is in active treatment. The MVA requires annual re-evaluations until the applicant "meets requirements for permanent gender change." If you are using a name other than your birth name, you must bring the document that initiated the change of name, such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court name change order and your current License.

The new policy would require an amended birth certificate. This requires going through the court system. Maryland code states that they will issue a birth certificate reflecting the proper gender only upon receipt of a certified copy of an order of from a court indicating that the sex of an individual born has been changed by surgical procedure and whether such individual's name has been changed. You cannot change the sex on a birth certificate simply by providing proof that you are undergoing medical treatment or procedures for gender reassignment.

If accepted, this policy change will be put into effect on January 1st, putting transgender Maryland residents in serious risk of harassment and potential harm. Take action against this harmful new policy and contact Maryland's governor so trans rights are protected.

2 Comments

December 15, 2009 7:31 PM

[0+]  Toongrrl said:

Great. Now the government
can step into your private
biz. Like relatives and
diaries

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December 16, 2009 2:23 PM

[0+]  Erika said:

Thank you for posting this. I live in Maryland, and I'm definitely going to contact Governor O'Malley about this and see what else I can do.

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