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Nonbinary Gender Option Now Offered On Indiana IDs

filling out application
Pixabay

Starting this month, driver's licenses and ID cards issued by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will offer applicants the option of choosing the nonbinary marker of "X" to designate gender, rather than the standard "M" for male and "F" for female. 

The change comes in response to demand, says Susie Guyer, executive director of marketing and communications for the Indiana BMV. "The X designation is in response to constituents requesting a nonbinary marker," she tells WVXU in an email. "Indiana has joined other states and industry groups, such as the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), that already recognize the designation." 

California, Maine and Oregon are just a few of the states that have adopted the practice. 

In order to chose this marker, applicants must provide proof of a permanent gender change in the form of a certified, amended birth certificate or a signed and dated statement from a physician, she adds. 

Indiana law requires every application for a driver's license or ID card to include the applicant's gender. In March, the BMV adopted the credential standards recommended by the AAMVA, which recognizes three gender options: female, male and non-specified, which is indicated with an X.

Jennifer Merritt brings 20 years of "tra-digital" journalism experience to WVXU.