Jul 24, 2020 3 min read

The state Department of Transportation announced Thursday that it will be offering a nonbinary gender designation option for driver’s licenses and photo identification cards.

The designations will include “M” for male, “F” for female or “X” for nonbinary. PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said in a video statement that offering only male and female designations wasn’t “meeting the needs” of all their customers.

“Our identity documents are critical to how we navigate the world, and having an affirming and accurate ID is critical for access to employment, health care, housing and so much more,” Gramian said in a news release. “Offering equitable and inclusive services for all Pennsylvanians is central to PennDOT’s mission, and I’m proud that we’re taking this step.”

Drivers who want to change their gender designation can fill out a form, DL-32, and complete the process in person at any driver license center. According to PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Driver and Vehicle Services Kurt Myers, the nonbinary designation was available to drivers on their license for the past year and a half, but now, their driving and other records will also reflect that designation.

Another new change is that the process doesn’t require a “sign-off” of medical or social service providers.

“You tell us who you are, and we believe you,” Gramian said in a video statement.

Previously, if a driver wanted to change the gender designation on their license, they had to have a medical provider sign off on the change.

In a video statement, Tyler Titus, vice chair of the Pennsylvania’s Commission of LGBTQ Affairs, expressed gratitude toward PennDOT.

“As a nonbinary person, having the ability to mark on my ID that my gender identity is real and valid is life-changing,” Titus said in the video. “It means more than anybody will be able to understand, when you have to navigate through daily life not being valid or real to people. So, having a space on a legal document and a legal ID that says that ‘I am who I am’ opens so many doors for us, and it sets an example and a form for everybody else to follow within these systems.”

In the release, Rafael Álvarez Febo, executive director for the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, said that since a person’s driver’s license or ID is used daily, it should “reflect your truth.”

“PennDOT is taking a very important step toward better serving Pennsylvanians of all gender identities. By removing barriers to make these changes, we are providing Pennsylvanians the agency to live their lives as their true selves,” Febo said.

Pennsylvania is one of 16 states that offer the nonbinary option.

Gov. Tom Wolf said he, too, is proud of this step.

“Protecting and supporting the LGBTQ Pennsylvanians has been a cornerstone of our administration since I took office, and implementing a nonbinary designation is an important step to affirming the identities of transgender and gender nonbinary Pennsylvanians,” Wolf said in a video statement. “All people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and this change helps make that possible for all Pennsylvanians.”