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Medical Form No Longer Required To Change Gender On Driver's License

Danielle McLean
/
BDN

People who want to change the gender listed on their driver’s license or state identification card no longer have to present a supporting statement from a medical provider.

Now, a person undergoing gender reassignment or who does not identify as male or female may fill out a form available on the agency’s website without having to obtain a statement from a doctor, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said Tuesday.

People who don’t identify as male or female would mark “non-binary” on the form. The nonbinary gender designation will appear as an “X” on state IDs.

Beginning in June 2018, Maine residents who identify as nonbinary could get a sticker to go on their driver’s licenses or identification cards, but they still had to obtain a statement from a medical provider, Dunlap said. Individuals undergoing gender reassignment also had to show a medical form.

New software obtained in September allowed the change to be implemented. The old system only printed an “M” for male or ”F” for female.

Equality Maine applauded the implementation of the change.

“Removing the requirement for a certificate from a professional gives transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary individuals more access to these affirming identity documents and often, more safety when using them,” said Shane Diamond, the organization’s communications director for the organization.

The change was the result of a 2017 Maine Human Rights Commission complaint against the state from a South Portland resident who was denied a request for a license with a gender designation other than female or male.

This story appears through a media sharing agreement with Bangor Daily News.