Transgender Texans blocked from changing their sex on their driver’s license

Transgender Texans can no longer change the sex on their driver’s license to align with their gender identity — even if they present the state with a certified court order or an amended birth certificate verifying the change, according to an internal agency email.

Sheri Gipson, the chief of the state’s driver license division, confirmed the policy change to KUT on Wednesday. A day earlier, Gipson sent the internal email, a photo of which was obtained by The Texas Tribune, detailing the change she said would go into effect immediately.

An employee of the Department of Public Safety, which issues driver licenses, confirmed they received the email but declined to comment further.

Under previous DPS rules, people were able to change the sex on their driver’s license if there was a clerical error, or if they presented an amended birth certificate or an original certified court record.

On Tuesday, DPS stopped accepting court orders as a basis to change a person’s sex on their drivers license, the agency announced in a statement Wednesday evening. The change was prompted by the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ’s concerns about “the validity” of court orders.

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