The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit Monday against the state of Alaska on behalf of a transgender woman who was denied a driver’s license that listed her gender as female.
While the woman, who changed her name and has been living as a female for nearly two years, was initially given a license designating her sex as female, the state reportedly issued an order to cancel it unless the woman replaced the document with one listing her gender as male or provided proof of gender reassignment surgery.
"No one should have to disclose sensitive personal information or be forced to make major medical decisions in order to get an accurate driver's license," said Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Alaska.
The lawsuit states that it’s unconstitutional to deny a person a driver’s license accurately reflecting their gender identity simply because they haven’t undergone surgery.
"Inaccurate identity documents that do not reflect an individual's lived gender identity result in harassment, discrimination and even violence," states the lawsuit. "Likewise, a driver's license that does not reflect a transgender person's lived gender forces the involuntary disclosure of personal medical information."
