The ACLU of Arkansas stated that” This proposed plan seeks to remove the existence of non-binary and transgender Arkansans.”
A law that would make it more difficult for transgender people to change the sex markers on their licenses and make it more difficult for transgender people to do so would be proposed by Arkansas lawmakers.
” This coverage is simply common sense. Only women give birth, men should n’t play women’s sports, and there are only two genders. As long as I’m Governor, Arkansas position government does not accept nonsense”, way straight Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders ( R ) said in a statement.
The proposed rule revokes the Department of Finance and Administration’s ( DFA ) current administrative practice, which enables license holders to modify their gender “without any verifiable information”, according to the agency announcement. Otherwise, the proposed legislation would require trans people to first change the gender symbol on their license before undergoing the process of modifying their birth certificate, which is required in Arkansas.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas stated in a speech that” this proposed legislation seeks to remove the existence of non-binary and transgender Arkansansans by putting them under groups that do not reflect their personalities.”
According to the Movement Advancement Project ( MAP ), Arkansas was one of 22 states where residents could designate M, F, or X on their driver’s license prior to this proposed emergency rule. Trans people who want to change the gender symbol on their license were allowed to change it on a simple form, but the state did n’t require provider certification. The new plan may set Arkansas in the company of another anti- trans states like Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, which likewise require proof of operation, a court order, or an amended birth certificate in order for someone to change the gender marker on their license.
” Arkansas will require a changed]birth certificate ] marker ( ]requires ] surgery ) to change your DL marker starting April 1st. Corinne Green, a board of directors ‘ part for the National Harm Reduction Coalition, said on social media that if you’re not a nonbinary, they’ll firmly change your X and send you a notice harassing you about it. ” Fucking insane]fascist ] shit”.
Despite acknowledging that the proposed emergency rule was “expected to be controversial,” the organization did not hold a public hearing for it, as per a questionnaire required to submit proposed rules to the Arkansas legislative council.
Jim Hudson, the DFA’s secretary, wrote in a letter to the director of ALR earlier this month that the” Department has determined that an emergency rule is necessary in order to administer the Office’s responsibilities under Ark.” Code Ann. § 27- 16- 1104 ( 3 ), which requires that a driver’s license or identification card issued by the Office contain the person’s gender”.
Transgender advocates contend however that changing the administrative rules actually conflicts with current law.
Allison Chapman, a researcher and activist for LGBTQ law, said,” Removing non-binary gender markers directly contradicts the purpose of this rule.” ” United States passports already permit for X gender markers, and by removing that option, they are discrepancies between identification documents, which is the supposed purpose of this rule,” according to the statement in the article.
The emergency rule is currently under review by the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research’s ( ALR ) Executive Subcommittee. If approved, the rule will go into effect on April 1.
This rule, Chapman said,” clearly exists just to attack and make the lives of trans and non-binary people more difficult.”
