Brock Boone, staff attorney with the ACLU of Alabama, said, "It is baffling that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency requires surgery to change the gender on a driver's license when the federal government does not require surgery, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators instructs states not to require surgery".
The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against Alabama, claiming the state discriminates against transgender people who want to change the gender designation on their driver licenses.
Alabama requires proof of gender reassignment surgery in order for transgender residents to get a state-issued ID that matches their gender identity. Clark said she still was not allowed to change her license.
"As a result of the state's driver license policy, many transgender Alabamians cannot obtain a license that they can use without disclosing highly sensitive information, risking discrimination and attack, compromising their own health and wellbeing, and endorsing a message about their gender with which they strongly disagree", the lawsuit states.
The ACLU has successfully challenged similar driver's license rules in Alaska and Michigan, Arkles said.
The suit was filed on behalf of two transgender women, Destiny Clark and Darcy Corbitt, and a third, unidentified plaintiff.
Julie Ebenstein, a lawyer with the ACLU Voting Rights Project, said the driver's license policy also potentially restricted transgender people's access to the polls because Alabama required photo identification, such as a driver's license, to cast a ballot.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment.
"In half an hour, I was subjected to the most blatant cruelty another human being had ever inflicted on me", said Corbitt, who has changed her gender identity on her US passport, Social Security card and North Dakota driver's license.
Arkles argued that the Alabama policy requiring evidence of sex-change surgery is tantamount to the state coercing medical care.
Darcy Corbitt, one of the plaintiffs, said she was subjected to "blatant cruelty" when she went to get her license after moving back to Alabama to pursue her doctoral degree at Auburn University.
"Corbitt says a county clerk "chose to publicly humiliate me" and that the clerk referred to her as "he", him", and "it". "She insulted me by referring to me as he", she said.
Source: http://newburghgazette.com/2018/02/07/transgender-residents-fight-alabama-drivers-license-policy/
The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against Alabama, claiming the state discriminates against transgender people who want to change the gender designation on their driver licenses.
Alabama requires proof of gender reassignment surgery in order for transgender residents to get a state-issued ID that matches their gender identity. Clark said she still was not allowed to change her license.
"As a result of the state's driver license policy, many transgender Alabamians cannot obtain a license that they can use without disclosing highly sensitive information, risking discrimination and attack, compromising their own health and wellbeing, and endorsing a message about their gender with which they strongly disagree", the lawsuit states.
The ACLU has successfully challenged similar driver's license rules in Alaska and Michigan, Arkles said.
The suit was filed on behalf of two transgender women, Destiny Clark and Darcy Corbitt, and a third, unidentified plaintiff.
Julie Ebenstein, a lawyer with the ACLU Voting Rights Project, said the driver's license policy also potentially restricted transgender people's access to the polls because Alabama required photo identification, such as a driver's license, to cast a ballot.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment.
"In half an hour, I was subjected to the most blatant cruelty another human being had ever inflicted on me", said Corbitt, who has changed her gender identity on her US passport, Social Security card and North Dakota driver's license.
Arkles argued that the Alabama policy requiring evidence of sex-change surgery is tantamount to the state coercing medical care.
Darcy Corbitt, one of the plaintiffs, said she was subjected to "blatant cruelty" when she went to get her license after moving back to Alabama to pursue her doctoral degree at Auburn University.
"Corbitt says a county clerk "chose to publicly humiliate me" and that the clerk referred to her as "he", him", and "it". "She insulted me by referring to me as he", she said.
Source: http://newburghgazette.com/2018/02/07/transgender-residents-fight-alabama-drivers-license-policy/
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