Florida Ends Gender Identity License Changes

Clear Facts

• The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issued a memo changing a previous rule that allowed Floridians to change their driver’s license to match their gender identity.
• The department now states that only a person’s biological sex will remain on file, as gender has historically been understood as a synonym for ‘sex.’
• Florida Democrats have reacted with outrage to the decision, accusing the GOP of pursuing blatantly transphobic policies.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issued a memo on Friday, changing a previous rule that allowed Floridians to change their driver’s license to match their gender identity. The Sunshine State had previously allowed transgender individuals to get their license changed if they were transitioning, according to the memo. However, the department now says that conflating sex with gender defeats the purpose of an “identification record” and has changed the policy to only allow a person’s biological sex to remain on file.

The memo reads, “Furthermore, the term ‘gender’ in s. 322.08, F. S., does not refer to a person’s internal sense of his or her gender role or identification but has historically and commonly been understood as a synonym for ‘sex,’ which is determined by innate and immutable biological and genetic characteristics. Permitting an individual to alter his or her license to reflect an internal sense of gender role or identity, which is neither immutable nor objectively verifiable, undermines the purpose of an identification record and can frustrate the state’s ability to enforce its laws.”

Following the updated policy, the department will only be able to issue a new driver’s license if the old one is lost or stolen and not if someone wishes to transition, according to the memo.

Florida Democrats reacted with outrage to the decision, with Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, saying Tuesday that “Florida Republicans’ obsession with trans people has to stop.” She added, “Instead of addressing our raging property insurance crisis or out-of-control rent hikes, the GOP continues to pursue blatantly transphobic policies to serve their made-up culture wars.”

The new policy is similar to a piece of legislation working through the Florida Senate and House of Representatives which would make the department’s policy law as well as create new requirements for applications for “health insurance policies, group health insurance policies, health benefit plans, & health maintenance contracts relating to coverage for sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures & certain mental health & therapeutic services.”

Clear Thoughts (op-ed)

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ decision to reverse a policy permitting individuals to change their driver’s license to match their gender identity is a rational and necessary move. It upholds the purpose of an identification record, which is to provide accurate and immutable information about an individual.

Florida Democrats’ outrage over the decision is misplaced and demonstrates their prioritization of identity politics over the state’s more pressing issues. Instead of focusing on the property insurance crisis or rent hikes, they choose to attack a policy that ensures the integrity of identification records.

The department’s stance on gender as synonymous with biological sex is rooted in historical understanding and objective verification. Allowing individuals to change their licenses based on their subjective sense of identity undermines the purpose of identification records and hinders the state’s ability to enforce its laws.

As a similar legislation works its way through the Florida Senate and House, it’s essential to keep the focus on providing accurate identification and maintaining the state’s ability to enforce laws, rather than getting lost in the identity politics-driven outrage.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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