Missouri residents will now need to provide proof of gender-affirmation surgery or a court order in order to update their gender on driver’s licenses, following a recent policy change by the Revenue Department. Previously, a doctor’s approval was sufficient to change the gender listed on state-issued identifications. LGBTQ rights advocacy group, PROMO criticized the policy shift, demanding an explanation from Director Wayne Wallingford. The new policy was implemented following an incident that prompted the change, according to department representatives.
Republican state lawmakers had raised concerns about the old policy on gender identifications, particularly after protests over a transgender woman’s use of women’s changing rooms at a gym in St. Louis. The woman had shown staff a copy of her driver’s license, identifying her as female. The gym, Life Time, later revoked her membership citing safety concerns impacting the club.
Missouri’s new policy does not have laws regarding transgender bathroom use, but the state is among those that have adopted legislation restricting gender-affirming medical care for minors. PROMO criticized Missouri for erasing the identities of transgender, gender expansive, and nonbinary individuals. Overall, the policy change has sparked controversy and debate surrounding transgender rights in the state.
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