The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) announced on Tuesday that residents of Arkansas will no longer be able to use gender markers on state identification cards that were previously marked with an “X”.
The DFA is likewise rescinding its current operational exercise, which allows licensees to change their gender “without any credible information,” according to the news. According to the organization, all licenses and IDs with the “X” title that have previously been issued will be valid after the current expiration day.
According to LGBTQ media outlet INTO, Arkansas has been providing gender-neutral options and allowing transgender people to change their identity markers without evidence since 2010.
People who are gender-conforming or transgender have the option to not include one of the other two female options on IDs under the “X” choice. Going forward, residents will have either an “F” or “M” on their IDs or driver’s license to denote female or male.
In this file image, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks on in Little Rock, AR, Feb. 7, 2023.Al Drago/AP/FILE
Residents who want to change the gender on their driver’s licenses or other state identification documents will need to have the sex as indicated on a birth certificate that was original or amended.
According to DFA Secretary Jim Hudson, “This change announced today reflects a commonsense approach that ensures a passport or ID issued by the State of Arkansas is based on objective, credible information.” “All of our stakeholders in law enforcement, various government agencies, caregivers, schools, and businesses depend on DFA-issued licenses and IDs to preserve our communities healthy and to prevent fraud.”
The move was criticized by the ACLU of Arkansas, which argued in a statement that the plan threatens “the safety and dignity of transgender, intersex, and nonbinary Arkansans”.
“Accurate and consistent identity documents are a fundamental necessity, enabling individuals to travel, secure employment, open bank accounts, and enroll in educational programs,” the statement read. An ID that accurately represents a transgender person’s true self is important for their safety and well-being, according to the article.
The policy change, according to the ACLU of Arkansas, “eliminates the existence of nonbinary and intersex Arkansans by putting them under categories that do not represent their identities,” according to the ACLU of Arkansas.
Stock photoAccording to the LGBTQ policy tracking group, Movement Advancement Project, at least 22 states, the District of Columbia, and federal agencies permit residents to use an “X” gender marker on identification documents and do not require provider certification to change gender markers.
In 2022, the U.S. Department of State introduced gender-neutral markers for passports, making it possible for passport holders to change their gender without providing any documentation.
Meanwhile, some states have been making the shift away from gender marker changes.
In 2022, Oklahoma implemented the first explicit ban on nonbinary gender markers, and Florida and Kansas recently forbade transgender people from updating their driver’s licenses and identification to reflect their gender identity.
“This policy is just common sense,” said Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in a statement Tuesday, calling policies like gender-neutral ID markers “nonsense”.
